Miriam

It occurred to her at some point in the afternoon

that what she would hear last would be

the sounds of a distant television,

voices in the hall, the clatter of carts,

that what she would smell last would be

the sweet smell of disinfectant,

that what she would feel last

would be the creases

of the plastic liner under her sheets,

that what she would see last

would be the ceiling over her bed,

a sky of off-white, aging acoustical tile,

with that bit of discoloration above the doorway

that sometimes reminded her of a cloud.

BRUCE ROBISON*

* Bruce Robison is rector of St. Andrew's Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Copyright Anglican Theological Review, Inc. Fall 2001
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