His picture was the first that showed 

On that obituary page 

I thought how strange – that he glowed 

He sat on a wooden rocking horse 

It was too small, of course 

His smile was wide 

And he waved as he went for a ride 

Six months had passed since I saw him last 

It was a familiar story (not written for the public, just one that I, as a health care provider, know too well)

He was one of countless who fell

Can I blame Winston-Salem or Marlboro?

All over his lung CT scan the damage was thorough

Spots like a dalmatian 

An Oncology referral 

But Death was waitin’

It had already gone up to his brain 

On his rocking horse, if you looked close enough, you could see he held a cigarette

What a shame 

He asked me questions in that exam room 

And I read all the subsequent hospital discharge summaries 

One from just last Sunday 

And I felt a sense of impending doom

The funeral home website says We Welcome You 

Home and Welcome in a place no one should ever be 

And how can Death be put in a summary?

Or life in a few paragraphs 

His obituary said that he loved to laugh

Some days I feel helpless 

Is this the real lot that life has dealt us?

I’ve never been a smoker

But I know that living is playing poker

So as I walked past the park today, I stopped for some respects to pay 

Though 30-some years too old, I hopped up on to that plastic horse on a spring 

I rocked back and forth 

Along with some kids and a few smokers

Giggling