At ninety,
when his kidneys began to fail,
he decided he was tired of the fighting,
tired of the tooth and nail,
tired of what it takes
to hold on to this world.

They told him
that without the dialysis,
the every-other-day trips
and the two hours at the clinic,
his body would continue
poisoning him.

He said that it was his body
that had been poisoning him for years.

They said, “Then, you’ll die.”

And he said that was the plan,
had been the plan all along:

“If you folks are wanting to scare me
into doing what you want
instead of what I want,
you’re gonna have to come up with something
other than threatening
that I’m gonna go be with Jesus.”

This morning, Lord willing,
they’ll amputate the two toes
blackened by gangrene.

He reckons
he’ll just be that much closer
and that if he has to leave this world
a little at a time,
then, that’s just how it is.

H. Arnett
2/7/13