New Years Eve: a precursor to a new beginning.

Nurse Beth tells us we should stay the night, Mom will not
make it to the new year. We go home and pack
blankets, pillows, sheets, and pretend
we’re at home in the waiting room.

 

We take shifts in Mom’s room. She says she feels

like she’s on death watch and we can’t find
the words to explain that she is.
So we sit. We watch the numbers. We count the hours.