Maybe One

My Father a nimble boxer in his younger years, was asked in his hospital bed. “Come on Dad you’ve got a few more rounds in you yet”. His reply “Maybe One“

Maybe one last time we’ll get to be together
Maybe one more thing will be left undone
Maybe one more tear will fall from a corner
Maybe things as a mess can’t be overcome
Maybe one last breath will fill up your body
Maybe one last bell has been rung
Maybe one last round with the ropes getting nearer
Maybe one last glimpse at the stars as they come.

(The poem “Maybe One” explores a profound sense of finality and impending loss, using the repeated phrase “Maybe one last” to emphasize a series of potentially terminal moments. Each line contemplates an ultimate experience, from shared time and unfulfilled tasks to emotional pain and the last breath. The imagery conveys a feeling of resignation to an unfixable situation, suggesting that current difficulties may be insurmountable and that an inevitable end is approaching, marked by the metaphorical “ropes getting nearer” and a “last glimpse at the stars.”)