Disappearing

 "The day he first told me he 
was starting to disappear I
didn't believe him and so he stopped
and held his hand up to the sun and it
was like thin paper in the light and
finally I said, you seem very calm
for a man who is disappearing and
he said it was a relief after all
those years of trying to keep the
pieces of his life in one place. 
Later on, I went to see him
again and as I was leaving, he
put a package in my hand.
     This is the last piece of my 
life, he said. take good care 
of it and then he smiled and was
gone and the room filled with the
sound of the wind and when I
opened the package there was
nothing there and I thought
there must be some mistake 
or maybe I dropped it and I 
got down on my hands and
knees and looked until the light
began to fade and then slowly
I felt pieces of my life 
fall away and suddenly I 
understood what he meant 
and I lay there for a long 
time crying and laughing at
the same time. "

Brian Andreas
Story People


This poem took my breath away. It describes the way I feel, perfectly.