Dedication: For RD. :-)

Day, Dying, Say, Smiling

He'll die before he reaches 16 years old
The doctor said
As he lied
On his hospital bed

16 years later
His feet stand firm
Still the fragile person he was
Patiently waiting for the doctors to learn

He tries to stand everyday
And fails
But every time he says:
Maybe another day

He knows he's deathly ill
But he never winces as he writes his will
Or takes his pills
He holds his Mom as she worries over the hospital bills
And he smiles still

He asks me to join him for a while
As he's gettin board of turnin' the radio dial
I nod and agree
Feeling bad when he says do not pity me

It's not the livin' that's scary, he tells me
It's leavin' ev'rythin I thought was ordinary
Never knowing
Never showing

This could be his deathbed, the doctors say
So kiss 'im and hug 'im
'Cause it might just be his last day

But he never asks why
And he never denies
That he treats every moment
Like a last goodbye

He's a survivor, they say
Because he lives knowing it could be his last day
He's a hero, I say
'Cause he lives in gray
Smiling anyway

- Katie