Thirty-Six

They thought they were

Going

To be here

Today

A few days ago

They were here

And they had plans

To be other places

And those plans

Did not

Go

As

Planned?

A hundred years ago

Someone was unable

To process

The idea

That they would not be here

Today

A thousand years ago

Humans must have understood

That there was no hope

For them being here

Today

But there might have been a person

Who

A thousand years ago

When their plans

Didn’t go

As

Planned

Was surprised

To find

That they would not be here

Today

Thirty-six days ago

Someone thought

That it was a no-brainer

That they would be here

Today

And that was the wrong

Assumption

Thirty-six hours ago

Someone was breathing

And now they’re not

Thirty-six seconds ago

Someone had a life

They no longer

Have anymore

I once read about

A ninety-year-old actor

Who signed a two-year contract

And I thought

It was irresponsible

Of all parties involved

To believe they could

Assume two years

Onto a ninety-year-old’s life

But then I thought about it

And so much of life

Is assuming

That we have

More time

Than even those who love us

Think we do

When I was nine

My ninety-four year-old grandfather

Wanted to get remarried

And I thought--

Why?

Just stay as you are

Where you are

Who you are

Why bother

Trying

To become

Something else

Now

That same week

A friend

A good friend
Who was also nine

Got hit by a car

And lived

For thirty-six hours

After that

There is no assumption

Of time

I guess this could all

Sound sad

Unless you say it

In that detached

Robotic voices

That actors use

In science fiction movies

If you detach

Then you won’t hear it

As sad

You’ll hear it

In the way

It’s meant

To be

Received

There is no assumption

Of time

And the task should not be

To place energy

In thinking

About how much

You can assume

The task should be

Letting thirty-six seconds pass

And thinking--

Those were a good

Thirty-six

Those thirty-six hours

Those thirty-six days

There was a woman

Who lived thirty-six years

Before one bad thing

Happened to her

But of course

She didn’t know it

It’s not her fault

She was wondering

What the next thirty-six

Would look like

She was assuming

They might not be

As good

As the thirty-six

She just had

And there’s no way

To know

We wish we could tell her

But you see

There’s so much

We just

Don’t

Know