Poet Gene Auprey smokes a cigarette in the kitchen of his home in Buxton. Auprey is in the final stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Auprey gets a hug from Julia Gilbert of Hospice of Southern Maine. The agency named him its first-ever poet laureate.
Auprey looks at artwork for a new book of his poems, "Dying. A Time for Remembering."
Auprey works on his poetry with a drawing made by his granddaughter J'Lynn Auprey nearby.
Auprey writes poetry at his home in Buxton.
Auprey worked for decades as a project manager for a plaster-and-drywall company, commuting daily between Maine and Massachusetts, before his failing body forced him to retire in 2002.
Cigarettes and an ash tray are nearby as Auprey works on his computer.
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