deathwatch

they stand in rows
those empty rooms
sterile hallways
midday gloom
shuffling images
stumble by
another day
in fading light
a lonely place
cold metal chairs
drifting people
to numb to care
no will, no way
medicine minus mind
eating away
extending time
patients weaken
embrace the dark
creeping shadows
bring the reapers mark
a growing circle
family, friends
hug a rabbi
who comforts them
swapping lies
with gentle touch
united by
the deathwatch