The powerful are shocked
that they die, like the rest of us,
and coming fast,
no time to unshape their mouth.

When death comes to Mister
he’s stunned, frankly, he can no longer
stack it up in the corner and
shuffle it around in his hand.  

It has come to others,
of course,
but they were weak
and burdened with thoughts. 

Do you have a migraine,
his wife waited by the door.
He did not want to answer her
to say, it’s happening, after all.  

He did not want to quit the womb
His wish had always won out
and yet, here’s darkness
and there’s the shroud