Probabilities

It's tempting

to wrap yourself up

in statistics,

but if you remember 

that they're only

probabilities,

you won't be 

as surprised.

Some people think

Death comes 

like a royal flush 

or a twenty in the gutter: 

once it comes, 

it'll be awhile 

before it comes again.

On Saturday,

February 27, 1999 

my long-suffering grandma 

Trini, 

took her rightful place 

among the angels.

She was 96 

and we silently figured 

we'd have some time 

before Death would re-appear 

and compel 

another family reunion 

via funeral.

Two days later, 

March 1, 1999 

my father, 

(Trini's son)

who never had 

a bad medical report 

(because he never went 

to the doctor) 

died quickly and quietly 

from an undiagnosed 

clogged artery.

I used to be angry, 

now I'm just amused, 

but I'm rarely ever 

surprised 

anymore.