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Open Poetry #3
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Choosing To Die
| Open Poetry #3 |
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Choosing To Die |
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hoot_owl_rn Member Patricius
since 1999-07-05
Posts 10750Glen Hope, PA USA 
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Choosing to Die I gave you love for many years Gave you everything I had It was through choosing to start a family That I became you dad I choose to love you for all it's worth As you grew to be a man I made sure you had every advantage That any body can Now here I lay, my mind is gone My body racked with pain I've lived a life that most would envy But I can not live again I understand how hard it is For you to let me go But I'm hurting son, can't you see I want for you to know This big machine that breathes for me Won't let me say a word And even if I said them now I'm not sure that they'd be heard I choose to die a graceful death Like I lived my life With my children here beside me Until I meet my wife Your mothers waiting there for me Oh son, why can't you see This isn't really just an ending But a fresh new start for me Son, please won't you look at me Let me see your face Then pull this bitter plug of life And let me die in grace ------------------ Man can not discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. [This message has been edited by hoot_owl_rn (edited 10-07-1999).] |
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| © Copyright 1999 Ruth Kephart - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Lucie Senior Member
since 1999-06-20
Posts 1077Houston |
This poem touched me deeply.. thank you for sharing it. |
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Severn Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-17
Posts 7704 |
senstive topic - sensitively dealt with, nicely done Hoot. |
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hoot_owl_rn Member Patricius
since 1999-07-05
Posts 10750Glen Hope, PA USA |
Thanks Lucie and Severn...it was inspired by Dream Evils topic in prose It is a subject I feel quite strongly on though |
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Tara Simms Senior Member
since 1999-08-12
Posts 1244Honea Path, SC USA |
Well said, Ruth. |
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Dragoness Senior Member
since 1999-08-07
Posts 513 |
Teary eyed.......Thank-You! Beautiful ppem. ------------------ Set you heart free and your mind will follow. |
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Pepper Member Elite
since 1999-08-19
Posts 3079Southern Florida |
beautifully done Hoot........ ------------------ May your days be filled with lots of sunshine and your nights lit up by golden moonbeams |
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RainbowGirl Member Elite
since 1999-07-31
Posts 3023United Kingdom |
Hoot: Well done..  HUGS ------------------ You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
I agree with severn (don't tell her) ruth. You did a wonderful job of dealing with this controversial subject. |
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WhtDove Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-22
Posts 9245Illinois |
Ruth, you have written a beautiful piece here! Hard subject, wonderful job my dear!!! |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
I'm sure you deal with this every day. Would that the government step out of our life long enough for us to go in peace. Thank you, Hoot, for words well said. May we all echo its sentiments. [This message has been edited by Sunshine (edited 10-07-1999).] |
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Julie Senior Member
since 1999-08-20
Posts 739Houston, TX |
Hoot, ya know I'm with you on this one. You said it beautifully. I am sure you are an angel to those who can't speak for themselves. ------------------ Julie ------------------------- Thou who has given so much to me, give one thing more: a grateful heart. >George Herbert |
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hoot_owl_rn Member Patricius
since 1999-07-05
Posts 10750Glen Hope, PA USA |
I just want to say thanks to each and evryone of you for your kind remarks on this one, I only hope when my time comes, I can die with grace as I believe I live my life |
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Andrew Scott Member Elite
since 1999-06-24
Posts 2558Redlands,CA,USA |
Lady Hoot: This one strikes very close to home. I had an uncle who suffered a brain aneurysm some years ago. They managed to get to him before he died and hooked him up to all sorts of machines. They saved his "life" but he was 100% paralyzed and only able to communicate through the blink of an eye. When they finally decided to let him die by taking away the machines, his body had recovered enough to live on its own. He carried on it that cocoon state for 11 years. A living hell if ever I believed there one to be. I'm a strong proponent of euthanasia yet I hope I'm never faced with such a decision. Should it ever come to that, I know what the answer would be: one of dignity! As always, you have my admiration and respect, as well as my thanks for the words that spill from you heart. |
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hoot_owl_rn Member Patricius
since 1999-07-05
Posts 10750Glen Hope, PA USA |
Sir Andrew...I can think of no finer compliment a writer could ever have than the one you just paid me...thank you |
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Denise
Moderator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-08-22
Posts 22648 |
Hoot, I am numb after reading this. This could very well have been the words of my own dad. After his cardiac arrest and his resusciation by the paramedics, he had the neurological functioning of an infant. We knew his wishes not to be 'kept alive' by machines, and we agreed to disconnect his life support after the initial 48 hours and following his second neurological testing to see if there had been any improvement. It was the hardest thing we have ever had to do. With my meager medical experience I knew that he would not pass away right away, as he was breathing on his own to a great extent, I could tell by the monitors. He lived another week, yet without regaining consciousness. Now my mom and dad are back together again, after all those years apart. I like to imagine them dancing together in heaven. Thank you for this beautiful piece. ------------------ Denise |
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hoot_owl_rn Member Patricius
since 1999-07-05
Posts 10750Glen Hope, PA USA |
Denise, I am truly sorry for your loss, but am glad, although I know it was difficult, that you were able to grant your fathers wishes and let him die with grace. God Bless you and your family. Hugs Ruth |
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LngJhnAg Member Elite
since 1999-07-23
Posts 3508Boot+Kitty=Poetry in motion |
Hootessa This message says so much about what often goes unsaid. It seems we fear the unkown so much that we cannot stand the thought of somebody else facing it with dignity and peace. You've written of this so well. |
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Elizabeth
Moderator
Member Ascendant
since 1999-06-07
Posts 6871Minnesota |
Beautiful job, Hoot, as usual-this is a very touching poem. I would hate not to be able to function for myself and would also wish to die in dignity. You wrote this well. ------------------ *Elizabeth* "Dwelt a maid belov'd and cherish'd by high and low, But with autumn leaf she perish'd, long time ago..." "Something sweet, something sort of grandish, sweeps my soul when thou art near..." |
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