I Was Present When I Died

I was present when I died
I smelt their fear
Their anger and confusion,
Their love, hate, and bewilderment
I witnessed their panic,
Saw their outstretched hands
Toward a God they never knew,
Reaching out for redemption
Till time, itself, evaporated in their hands

I was present when I died
I’m the doubt in the back of their minds
An aching memory
A shadow before their eyes
My name on their lips,
Whispered with reverence
Now that I am gone

Who embraces the unknown?
Who walks that path?
Who, unless, treading carefully, he hopes
To avoid the traps time sets
For the mortal soul?

I was present when I died
Entering larger spaces
But their wailings brought me back
To a reality that no longer was mine