Shall he just disappear from sight,

Kicked into touch, the unwanted ball

Rejected from the field of play

Wistfully waiting for another chance?

Shall he choose the gentlest 'slow-dissolve'

Ethereal fading out as the music dies

With an unknown note that is anybody's

Memory of what's just gone before?

Or will the curtain fall on the final act,

The hero collapsed in self-destruct

Of tragic departure without a tear

Shed from the arena of a standing globe?

Or the unexpected exit and the shock of sudden death,

So hard for those who're left behind,

But quickly gone and anguish-free

Is this liberation into the divine welcome?

Or shall he end his days in style

The rondo crescendo of double fortissimo

The final note celebrated wildly with crashing thunder,

Drums rolling, cymbals clashing and cheers applauding?

Their endings prove his own beginnings,

Freshly discovered in a teaming spirit;

A camaraderie that welcomes him

Using what he has to share of his own end.

23 June 2005

Reflecting on previous decisions taken at Ringgenberg, and on half a year in palliative care, anticipating our own retirement.