By Linda Forse
There was once a man
who lived all alone.
His wife had Alzheimers
and lived in a home.
Little by little
her memory waned
until his wife knew
neither the man nor his name.
The bills for her care
continued to rise,
yet this man loved her;
she was the world in his eyes.
He wanted the best
for his once-loving wife,
so he decided right then
to take his own life.
His Social Security
and sale of their home
would pay for her care
when she was alone.
So no neighbor would find him
he devised a plan:
he would call 911
before he did himself in.
He would do it outside
where his wife used to garden;
no mess to clean up,
no stigma nor burden.
He then took his gun
and went outside to the yard;
one last look at the sun
and then he was gone.
When the cops came
they said, “What a man!
Considerate and selfless
to the very end.”