Cruel Death

Death may be merciful, an end to long suffering,
but more often it seems cruel, or at least uncaring
while we are rendered mute and mindless:
“senseless tragedy”
                      “the unimaginable”
                                            “I don’t know what to say”

How much crueler is this death, then? This woman severed
from her sister by closed doors, pandemic precautions,
heartbeats abruptly silenced, breaths lost to sterile air
unresponsive
                       unrecoverable
                                                DNR, DNI

How cruel to be pronounced dead by a doctor
who has never seen her alive, for me to wake up
her sister to inform her of what little I know
to change her life
                                    with the loss of another.


#NaPoWriMo 28/30