Correspondence

Failing

N Engl J Med 2002; 346:2015June 20, 2002

Article

Your sunken eyes plead with me

Volcanic orbits wasted of sculptured fat

Burned in failure's fire

Your listless gaze pleads with me

To offer a clue —

We both know your cancer

Sneaks about within you

Evading my mortal knife —

On this day as dusk settles

With its flippant breach of faith

In this inhospitable hospice place

I visit you with apology

Faint on my awkward tongue —

Pain claws your innards

Casting you closer to your fate

Even as my narcotic needle

Bites with a measure of reprieve —

Your eyes flutter now

Eternity approaches within inches

And I measure my deceit —

I didn't know you were this close

David Page, M.D.
Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA 01199