The Beauty of Dying

Photograph by Dianne Woods

There seems 

a rural mystery

of an unwritten law

amongst people who live

out in the country:

they let old barns 

die at their own pace.

There is something 

about an old barn
past its prime

abandoned
alone
in a field

it is architectural death
in slow motion
on public display.

There is an instant fascination
when we see a barn

crooked
stooped
held up by the wind and visions 

of its former glory

that causes us 

to pull over on our Sunday drive

and take a picture to document
the beauty of dying slowly 

in a rolling field

and the thought comes

very naturally
that all it would take
is one gentle push
to end the suffering

so
why don't they 

do it?

    ***

The Japanese are famous
for the respect they bestow
upon their elders

but we hide our old folks away 

from places they want to return
in places they don't know
and pay people to make sure 

they stay there

while we turn away
from discussions of suffering
and one gentle push

yet we let barns
take their time dying
where they have always been

and we pull over
to watch.



Ken Owen   Van Niddy Press   

November 2016