Life
When can I bid you farewell
When can I surrender my breath to the Creator
When can I let go
Minutes left
Someone else will grant my wish
And the pain will soon end
And I will soon dance with the snowflakes
Cry for me
Smile for me
Remember me
Love me
I will be okay
I will be held
I will know peace
I will be loved
Life
Oh Life
Let me go
Light a candle for me
I will feel the warmth of the flame
And let it, the current of the hot air,
Carry me beyond the sunset
Goodbye sweet friend
© Ruby Neumann
Poet's Note: I wrote this poem February 12, 2022. Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) may still be met with some controversy in some circles. For me, the controversy ended when I held our cat Tigger and a vet gave him an injection that ended his pain (January 28, 2013) .
I didn't write this poem for Tigger, I wrote it for a friend of my husband's whose journey was much like Tigger's. He had a good life, but the he had the freedom to have someone end his life before the pain was too much and life for him was no longer life.
What we did for Tigger some have labeled as humane... but some still think that humans don't deserve the same humane treatment as our cat did. So why is it labeled as humane then?
I am thankful that our government finally gave that freedom to humans to leave this world with the grace and dignity that our cat was given.
