It's Never Too Late: Uncovering the Magic of Writing After Sixty

While You Were Sleeping

While you were sleeping
He gazed at your face
He dreamed of holding you
Of one long, last embrace

But life was at its end
You had missed what should have been
He married her
You married him

In the hospital as you visit
Your smile is still the same
In the intensive care unit
You are struggling for your breath as he calls your name

The children are all grown
They live so far away
You long to see them
They’ll visit one day is what they say

While you were sleeping
You passed into eternity
You never shared your lives
His is now as empty as can be

The tears stream down his face
For a love he once knew
Sadness everywhere
For she was his one love true.

This poem originally appeared in “Poetry & Prose Magazine”.

Kepler, Jimmie A. “While You Were Sleeping,” Poetry & Prose Magazine, February 2011. Volume 1, Issue 5, Moonchild Designs, page 35. http://en.calameo.com/read/000339139c6566c472d0d (February 2011).