The Death Vigil

... Then the first lady got up from the presidential bedside and walked slowly toward the door.

Very interesting challenge!

Your article is Featured in the Triple Name Club.

Wow was that good and with only 30 words, what an interesting challenge to say the very least!

Believe me, when I finish the long version of this article, I will have released on the entire experience. The wife has dementia and is on emotional bypass, so after three hours plus of watching her torture this poor man, I took her home to let him die in peace. He fortunately did. She is still asking me if I know where he is. Ugh.

Oh, my! No need to say more. Excellent!

Ah, Ken, if only it were so!

Thanks so much Kathryn for the feature.

And thanks for the encouragement, Esther and Kimberly.:)

You are so good!!! Thanks for posting this to BEST ORIGINAL PHOTOS, ART AND WRITING FOR 2008.

very challenging to write in this way!

Wow! You said sooo much with so few words. Great job.

Ah Elizabeth > I struggled mightily with my conscience as I keyed my post. (And the first one, to boot!)

Thank you for putting my mind at rest with your response ... because I truly meant no disrespect to this wonderfully-authored entry. The photo was spot-on as well.

Fine work. ma'am.

I've been with animals when they died, but never with a person. But this is a perfect description of what happens to the animals, though.

Excellent...

this is great.. i guess it's a hard job watching someone die.. i don't want to do it.

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Ann M writes: "I've been with animals when they died, but never with a person. But this is a perfect description of what happens to the animals, though."

I appreciate the implication of your comment.

Moment of Revelation: One may conclude that 'persons' (i.e. human beings, us) ARE 'animals' TOO.

Indeed. Who woulda thunk?

Well done.

Elizabeth ~ This is FEATURED in Snippets as our 1st perfect "30" POWERFUL AUTHOR-Style Snippets !

POTENT Elizabeth!

Thank you for gracing us with your Literary Hand.

Blessings ~
Rene

ah!!! This is so wonderful...I enjoyed it's rich texture.

YOu described things well here. Very good imagery.

Very good Elizabeth.

I never can seem to do anything that doesn't have a poetic feel to it for the snippets.

HI Elizabeth. I don't think I've met you before and am anxious to go to your site. When I read your poem it made me so sad ... heavy. But I'm sure it goes on in every city country wide. Two elderly, physically and emotionally diminished people trying to exist till the end; barring dementia, the character built over 70 yrs tells its story.

Thanks everybody for your kind comments. This experience was pretty grisly, but the dementia was the saddest part of the entire thing. It was terribly sad, as I have known both people for 16 years and this was not the end I envisioned for him or her.

Hmmm Elizabeth ... all of a sudden I realized that may not be a husband and wife. Maybe it was a different caretaker. Not a child; they wouldn't have called him George ordinarily. His nurse? Caretaker in a nursing home? Interesting . . . Your graphic is wonderful too.

Glome... sadly it was his wife, but she has Alzheimer's and therefore is on a sort of emotional bypass most of the time, although still highly functional in other ways and is able to read, order people around, etc. Honestly? When I think about the losses both of them suffered, it is sort of like asking oneself, "Would I rather lose my sight or my hearing?"

This was sad, but interesting.

How eerie, I loved that line: 'Like a half-dead mouse tortured by a vagabond's stick' - a great snippet.

Well done.

Very impressive, Elizabeth. It's amazing what can be said, and what stories told, in so few words.

Well done thanks for sharing.

We are the human animal indeed. I was with my poor Rufus when she died, though such a blessing she was home with and not having had to be euthanized, she had her favorite snack that night as well. I usually wouldn't allow because she became too fat!! It was KFC, something just made me feel I ought to treat her that night. She died in my lap, and I cried for her, then had to tell my son that our kitty was gone, that was hard too. But I remember every step of her death so well, to this day still.
The only time I have been present for the passing of a man happened to be during the hardest job that I never wanted and was so grateful to have. Very long, and somewhat unconvential story there (perhaps it's own article another time). This was the caring of my dad at the home of my youth, hospital bed in living room, could do nothing for himself, but sure could complain. He died with me, again the passing I shall always know as yesterday. Different than expected, there, then gasping, then silent, then not. What stuck with me the most and seems always will, is that on TV they always gracefully just close their eyes, no trouble at all. I didn't want dad staring, the rest of the family coming here to say there goodbyes before we call ambulance and report his death, and that would be uncomfortable for them. I mimicked the action, and no sir, they won't close, nothing I could do. I have heard though, but won't repeat here as I feel in poor taste, that the morticians have a special trick that they use. I am glad he allowed us to care for him and help him end, at home where he should be.
30 words and you brought back all that and more, yes, powerful dear, that and more........

I think this resonates because it is the universal human experience, Ruth. I also think you will be blessed for your kindness and highly-evolved humanity with your father and your cat.:)

Very well done.

You are a powerful writer Elizabeth. I actually sat and counted the words. Amazing that you have created such a visual scene with just 30 words!

Thank you, Luna. I couldn't get the real visual out of my mind, so I was attempting in my own way to 'exorcise' it.

This is so expressive! "He shuddered, sighed and died" is exactly how people's bodies die. These words and the open mouth in the photo bring back memories of lost loved ones. We can see this, but how I wish we could feel their spirits as they leave us, bound for eternity.

Elizabeth ~ I did not know this was a true story predicated around dementia. I'm glad that you mentioned that in your comment. That makes this an even more POWERFUL TALE. -- sadly.

Blessings ~
Rene

This is a very sad, but powerful story.

That was amazing

Excellent use of 30 simple words.