(about this thread)
I grieved when I imagined / the suffering
Of an elder grown sick and senile /and because Hafeem
Made to wait for centuries / for death’s relief.
But later it occurred to me / in a different context
That there is little difference /between a lifespan of 100 or a 1000 years
Putting these thoughts together / I now see
That we are alike another way.
To be old and alone / is cruelty at any age.
True Immortals do not suffer it / but an isolated, weakening Hafeem
suffers like any isolated, weakening mortal / pained past physical pain
By the loneliness.
And how can Hafeems find one other? / This is not fantasy.
There is no mark on the face / no spiritual glow.
Besides, they are practiced at hiding / and it traps them in the end.
Unless –
Unless someone finds them out / overwhelms their defences
And kidnaps them into the comfort of their kind. — Kate
That brought a tear to my eye. Thank you.