Title: (Hospice Final Journeys)

Though now all deceased
At the time of the interviews
They were very much alive
And awaiting their deaths in a hospice

Their touching reflections
About daily having to face the cold fact
Of their impending deaths

And their "whiles-alive-images" in black and white
Those poignant full-faced photographs

Were veritable "before-and-after" studies in quiet courage
That resonate with all the living

And the equally emotionally powerful images
The sympathetic photographs taken just after their deaths
Are wondrous depictions of faces
Of long-suffering souls finally at peace

And the complete sets
Of "before-and-after" photographs
And their accompanying personal stories
Truly touched and affected millions worldwide

Millions who pondered their own eventual ends
When death would finally come calling too
Were spellbound
As they read those poignant stories

And they cannot but thank those brave departed souls
Who posthumously shared reflections
Of their past and present
And their apprehensions about an unknown future

An unknown future
Which today is a moment of reflection for the living
As they too ponder their own unknown futures
And wonder when they too
Will embark on the journey of the departed
May their souls rest in perfect peace!

Learn more about this author, Kofi Thompson.
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