Before the beginning

I will lie twitching, muttering and confused, as my final darkness descends.
The smells of sweat and decay fill the room, shrouding me in shame.
My thoughts wander. Then in sudden panic, I grip the bed in fear.
All those moments lived now gone, now gone, my old eyes filled with tears.

I let go of my little girl's hand, and she turned to wave goodbye.
My wife was a young woman across the room; our hearts soared, our minds raced.
My soul was everlasting, all things were eternal, nothing would ever fade.
Yet I will drift away into dust, unmanned and unmade, lonely and afraid.