A Legacy of Love

A Poem by Lily Shadid

Crawling up the stairs, I see a man I love dearly, 

Being eaten away, suffering so severely.

I look for hope in my mother’s eyes: they have gone black,

I’m left to turn to myself, which stabs me in the back.

The sound of his cry; a family of pain, 

God, why must a good man be condemned in vain?

I run to his arms, yet don’t hug him too hard,

For the slightest act of love could leave him scarred.

He whimpers as he apologizes for being ill,

I hear him say to my sister, “It is all in God’s will.”

I run to my room, rest my head, feeling all but bereft,

Scared to be awoken with news of just one parent left.

Parts of him left in a body that is no longer his,

I pray the illness stays away from these final traces.

I beg him, “Stay,” as his raspy voice mentions a light,

“I see it now. I can’t explain. I’m done with the fight.”

I watch his face turn gray, and feel his body go cold,

How could this be? He was only 49 years old.

His spirit still present, only his face I don’t see.

My heart mourns his loss as I carry his legacy.