Collection Of Poems: Feelings and Fears

I Am The Caretaker.

I am the Caretaker.

It is not a job for all.
You must be able to endure
The most grotesque of tasks.

I oversee the flow of thousands of souls:
From the newborn,
to the young, to those
on the precipice of twilight.

They pass by in a flurry
And I remain as still as ever

I exist outside of their realm
Summoned only when needed.

Often for unfortunate disasters.

Disease, Death, and of all matters
Products and remnants of human excretion.

I work diligently in my duties
Of erasing their marks of existence.
Wiping them away to cleanse the rooms
Of the pain, fear, trauma and misery
That remained in the aftermath.

No matter how massive or minuscule,
I wash it away in preparation for the next
While remaining completely untarnished.

But only on the surface level
Do I remain clean.

For the emotions left behind linger
And latch onto my ever silent presence.

Lost and looking for home.

I take them on and make them my own
Collecting the strays left behind
As I proceed through the halls.

They will never know
That I feel right beside them
For I understand the depth
Of compassion and empathy
For those in need.

They follow me home
And mingle with all
Of those I've taken in before.

One can forget what it means
To feel cleansed in themselves
When they spend all waking hours
Cleansing for thousands that pass through
Faces all a blur with only few
That remain imprinted in memory.

The warm water feels foreign
Against my skin and through my hair
Slowly dissolving the grime
And the unacknowledged filth
I've allowed to accumulate.

It is one of the most difficult cleans to perform
Scrubbing away the dead and decay
Lathering up with excess foam
To be absolutely certain every inch is reached
To make sure that nothing is missed.

It is a rebirth of peace and calm
And I remember what it means
To have tranquility once more
And lift my spirits away
From the weight of the world.

I can remember beauty
That is inherent in all there is
Of both nature and man made creations.

It always leaves me in awe
Before the gentle melancholy
Of how small our time here is
Brings my feet back to the ground.

I am the Caretaker.
And when my time comes
Who will be the one
To wash away the last remains
Of all that I am?