guidelines for the dying

at night
when hours thicken most
facing north
if you look outside of the window
you can see a cross
atop a copper dome
twinkling for you
in freezing cold

let breath drift away
let name drift away
freezing cold
let light drift away

it shall be as you wish
let soul drift away

from chimneys
white smoke rises
snow blankets roofs

this is time
leave the body behind
let sleep spill over the bed
run over sores and bed sores

it shall be as you wish
with life as with death
with coming and going
soul and soul no more

it shall be

you are a wish
no one's
a wish
a nothing

free

montreal, 8 january 2015