Those who kept the same lonely vigil who watched in agony

The family member who was there and had to make the choice

Whether to pull the plug or leave him, it was all left up to me

Each artificial breath he takes offered both hope and despair

Your companion numbered monitors, and beeps throughout the night

The nurses glance with sympathy, because they’ve seen it all before

Sometimes a kind hand on a shoulder, as they dim the overhead light

You talk to them, plead with them, beg them for a sign

Hold their hand, make deals with God, do anything you can

You hear the doctor’s question; know the answer that’s required

Yet how can I say take the life of my brother…a young man

You know that it’s all over all that’s left are memories of past

Say your last farewells and squeeze his hand it’s time to let him go

You nod your answer and it’s done, a nurse guides you out the door

A piece of your heart is broken off and you hope somehow he’ll know

For years and years you’ll wonder if you did the right thing

If maybe you’d just waited one more day would he be here today

Perhaps a miracle might have happened and spared the one you loved

As time eases the pain and loss yet that unearned guilt won’t go away.