A Place for the End (poem)

The nurse leads me by the hand,

supports my weak slow steps,

and guides me to my guest room,

a bed and a bathroom.

Years glued to screens and sheets

stuck thick glasses over my once-good eyes,

and all that time bent over a notebook

left my back sore and hunched.

The room is nondescript,

white walls, pale bed sheets,

its walls bare and unoccupied,

everything in order and cold.

I was a ladies' man,

flirting was second nature,

but for all the loves I've had,

now I am alone.

I smile sweetly as I remember them,

of the nights we shared

wrapped up in each other,

whispering our plans for forever.

I watched them fall in love,

I watched them get married,

and I watched them have children,

while I watched myself grow old.

I remove my glasses and lie down,

the bed welcoming and unfamiliar.

I close my eyes for the last time,

and think of how lovely this place is.

-Zero