As he lies in the field, he feels the warm breeze on his face, the wildflowers brushing against his skin, and his body slowly and inexorably failing. A family of sparrows sing in the oak tree at the top of the rise. Crickets stridulate in the long grasses. He watches the clouds as they chart a passage across the great blue causeway of the sky. He feels the last of his blood cells succumb to the poison in his veins.
There is pain. For certain, there is pain. But there is also release. He feels a peculiar euphoria. A sense that everything will be alright. He can’t say he didn’t make any mistakes. He can’t say he’s all too proud of what he’s done in this life. But he knows the people he loves will be okay. And when they find him here, lying in the flowers, he hopes they will find him with a lasting smile on his face.
Paddy Dobson
26th March 2022