JUST BEFORE....................................................................................................................................................ROBERT COLES

Just Before

Poem by Robert Coles

In a hospital room I stand next to your son, watching you drift in and out of consciousness. I give you flowers, their stems clipped. You drop them in a pan of shallow water.

Outside, I can see the bus station near the last stop on the subway line. Remember when you moved to Mount Airy, on the second floor? We talked all night about politics. Then Watergate broke, and you foresaw that Nixon would fall. You always drove me home pounding your palms on the steering wheel. Kamal takes a napkin and wipes your mouth— “Are you hungry Mom, do you want a drink?”— while I keep asking if you know my name. You raise yourself and say it once, just before you fall back.