A Woman

A Woman, mature,
maybe 60 years my senior.
Thinned hair, empty stare,
frail body, stoic demeanor.

A woman, pale,
soft, aged, mottled skin.
Kind greetings at bedside meetings.
Like kiddo, sonny, doll, and friend.

A woman, worn,
breast, lungs, likely bone.
Stricken with cancer and no answer;
A wink, a smile, a spirit shone?

A woman, scared,
withered, wanting wind and words.
No lasting breath and nearer death
A dark silence than was heard.

A woman, free,

Vince Sevier, Class of 2002