He waits for me
Under his dark cloak of time
I see him smiling
Inviting me.

I first saw him three years ago
He appeared in my reflection
My friends, my family, my grades and hobbies
He was everywhere.

I turned and found him in medication bottles
Knives and blades
He waited at the bottoms of bridges
Smiling up at me as my feet began to slip

I saw him on Jon’s arms
The attempt of joining him marked by scars
And the cloaked man’s grasp
Leaving streaks of regret

I saw him on my doctor’s face
As he told me to get surgery
And said those dreadful words
“You have cancer”

I saw him in the hospital
While being fed his pleasure in chemotherapy
His own face so close to mine
His fingers on my throat

My inhales are his exhales
I stare into his empty eyes
The things he has seen, souls he has collected
I would not be one of them

I have seen him too many times
In sixteen years, he has longed for me
And each time I see him beckoning
I smile and walk away