Unexpected (But I Was Warned)-(Poem)

once I decided to throw away this world

as a glittering prize that can never be reached

I began to see the vivid greens of grass and tree,

such variegated hues, with sudden splashes of contrast

in the cardinal perched upon a limb or a robin’s bold breast

I view these now when my eyes are failing

I hear the mad chatter and scold from backyard squirrels

with ears likewise diminished for their task

as if in these shortened minutes before I depart

a veil has fallen away that once obscured

and I walk amidst light that dances with the laughter of emptiness