A broken man skeletal but proud
Walks in daring anyone
To mention his weight loss
Haunted face deathly gaunt
Knowing each day brings him closer
To the end.
He knows what is happening
Will tell you after a drink
Wants no sympathy, fact dealing
So there’s not speculation
As he hears them discuss him
Talk about the ‘condition ‘
Coming to take the life he knew
Your words are not accurate
This thing filled him with stoicism
While eating away who he was
Wanting to tell them while asbestos eats
He can still hear every single beat.
Written about the close friend of my dad who was a fighter and battled asbestosis, a very brave man even as he was being broken down.
Ailsa
©️AilsaCawleyPoetry 2019
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