Sharon Olds - His Stillness lyrics

The doctor said to my father, “You asked me to tell you when nothing more could be done. That's what I'm telling you now.” My father sat quite still, as he always did, especially not moving his eyes. I had thought he would rave if he understood he would die, wave his arms and cry out. He sat up, thin, and clean, in his clean gown, like a holy man. The doctor said, “There are things we can do which might give you time, but we cannot cure you.” My father said, “Thank you.” And he sat, motionless, alone, with the dignity of a foreign leader. I sat beside him. This was my father. He had known he was mortal. I had feared they would have to tie him down. I had not remembered he had always held still and kept quiet to bear things, the liquor a way to keep still. I had not known him. My father had dignity. At the end of his life his life began to wake in me.