When They Finally Knew

100 yards out he knew they would leave the gravel road to go flying off down into the ponderosas

as she was read the test results she felt the thoughtless life she had always known slip away forever

while they were lowering her father into the earth she realized suddenly that she was next in line

when he could no longer jog he became aware that his possibilities were forever strictly decreasing

glancing up from her call she saw the oncoming semi just before it intruded deep within her vehicle

seeing that bright light he still had one moment to remember that it meant he was passing away

helping to inter his firefighting brother he gained a terminal empathy that would never leave him

as the plane tumbled so rapidly to earth each one of them had far too long to imagine the conclusion

though they said he died instantly they could never know exactly how his consciousness had fled

for several seconds after his decapitation his eyes still saw & his brain still functioned – And he knew

the sensation of a crushing weight on his chest induced a well-founded & prophetic sense of doom

T-boned & launched from his cycle he felt cool air on his helmetless head before striking the pole

As her car filled with water she struggled to find a way out in the rapidly-shrinking air pocket

They saw the flash as a suicide bomber was remotely detonated directly in front of their tea stand

He watched, stunned, as the shooter took out several of his friends and then turned towards him

The morphine slowly overtook him and he knew this would be his last trip under – and it was OK

Grandmother grew quite calm as she somehow involuntarily accepted that her time had come at last

As a 3 year old, the approach of death under anesthesia was just another in a series of tiring dreams

The old dog lifted a tired head just in time to see the muzzle flash of his owner’s shotgun in his face

After months of unremitting pain he realized that it would never cease - at least while he was alive

Things slowly faded out given the uncontrolled bleeding induced by the IED which had taken his legs

She found herself looking down from above the table upon which they worked so feverishly upon her

After the shooting he lay surrounded by homies but the sound of the approaching ambulance dimmed

She did notice as something snapped inside her chest as the burly EMT began performing CPR on her