He laid himself upon the gurney
Down the hall they were to wheel.
A brilliant light shone on his chest;
They laid him on the frigid steel.

He upward rose and floated high
Above the body lying there.
A ghostly form into the haze
He traveled, though he knew not where.

A cavern he found in the mist,
And, curious, he sought to scout
To see what lay beyond the dark--
To find a way to hasten out.

He onward walked into the dark
'Til he illumination found
With hermit timeless, wise, and waiting,
Clothed in beard and silky gown.

"Yes, you know me," the old man said.
"The time is not for you to stay.
Remember me when you return.
Now I will send you on your way."

He looked on as the chamber faded.
Dark replaced the dazzling light
As he descended from above,
Returning to aberrant night.

His eyes he opened as he lay
Upon the bed he lay before,
Assured death not life's journey ends,
Content believing something more.

Copyright © 1996 by Randal A. Burd, Jr.

Publications: Sterling Heights, MI: Keepsakes, Illiad Press, 1996

Honorable Mention, Fall 1996 Illiad Literary Awards, Cader Publishing

Author's Note: Poems viewed here are the latest versions and are not necessarily word-for-word as published.