It’s Time to Go Now [Verse 1] A year before the final morning, She gave twenty-nine of us a task: “Write one thing that you remember— Just one memory is all I ask.” Twenty-nine lives, twenty-nine stories, Twenty-nine windows through the years. Little things we thought forgotten, Written down and gathered near. [Verse 2] She had sent her son out searching For a certain old CD. Why it mattered, no one questioned; She just said, “Please find it for me.” It waited there inside her room While the months went passing by— Like a message sealed in music, Waiting for the proper time. [Verse 3] Then two sitting schedules tangled, And more family came that day. More chairs gathered by her bedside— An accident, some people say. But her eyes were clear that morning, And her voice was firm and strong: “Someone find that CD for me. I would like to hear those songs.” [Chorus] It’s time to go now—the old recording played. The family gathered close to her as every final note began to fade. It’s time to go now—there was no fear or alarm. When the last chord disappeared, she took one breath… And Granddad took her home. [Verse 4] By the fourth or maybe fifth song, Those words came floating through the room: “It’s time to go now”—softly spoken, Like a flower choosing when to bloom. She listened through the final measure, Every note exactly placed. Then the music reached its ending, And the last breath left her face. [Bridge] All that morning, wintergreen Hung heavy in the air— The smell of Ben-Gay everywhere, But not a tube was there. The staff could smell it. The family too. They searched but found no cause. Granddad nearly bathed in it Every day before he was gone. Maybe others need an answer. Maybe proof must stand alone. But everyone inside that room knew: He had come to take her home. [Final Chorus] It’s time to go now—the old recording played. The family gathered close to her as every final note began to fade. It’s time to go now—she had waited long enough. She left this world surrounded by the evidence of love. It’s time to go now—there was no fear or alarm. When the final chord disappeared, she took one breath… And Granddad took her home. [Verse 5] At her celebration, her editor son Gathered twenty-nine letters into one. He trimmed the pages, shaped the lines, But never cut the love inside. Then he read our memories aloud, And she returned through every word— Twenty-nine grandchildren remembering, Twenty-nine voices being heard. [Outro] Some endings arrive with thunder. Some leave quietly, unseen. Some come carried by an old song And the scent of wintergreen. When the final music told her What she had already known: “It’s time to go now.” And she didn’t go alone.
