Sometimes the saddest things

Sometimes the saddest things

Are the words least said

The space between breaths

The silence at the end of a sentence

That makes no sense.

When the journey to a hospital for tests

Is accompanied by a tribute to Bowie

Who was Ziggy Stardust

Before he died and became Lazarus,

Is he still watching

Sitting in a tin can?

Sometimes words don’t matter

They fall flat

And tumble out with all the gravitas

Of an advertising jingle

Nothing prepares a person

For the truth

I guess it is why so many try to avoid it.

Without words,

Appropriate touching is all important

Too many people get it wrong

Crushing the remaining life out

Of a neophyte

Having the newly acquired status

Of ‘diseased’

Before they got used to being alive.

Old hands close around each other

In remission,

Close couples

Sit together,

Watching the fear in people's eyes

Leak out,

Pooling down onto the floor

Leaving a trail of footprints out to the car park.

Driving home in silence

Accompanied by Major Tom

Ashes to Ashes,

Floating on eggshells.

Finding solace in the comfort

Of shared dreams,

Sometimes the fewest words

Are the most powerful,

So well remembered.

Even when the pain of

A tentative approach has eased,

Good intentions

Can leave a lasting impression.