Sob wrecked agony as the knots folded into themselves
and caught in between a burst of emotion
spilling out onto the sheets of pain
as life ebbed out and the heartbeat stilled.

For one
last grasp at life she burst to beauty
eyes closed to a heaven only she could see
and left  a legacy of what could be
a ray of light, in a blinding moment of hope
when all we wanted was a little finger to grasp
in glory, but never. She just came to wish us a goodbye
and she was gone, her mark on our memory forever.

Even today her spirit grew its wonder
in our own fertile minds as we questioned why
she lived for such a whisper of hope
in our hearts.

But we gave her the love she came to collect
and left us her love to carry
all our lives.

I named her Maria.
© Marshall Gass. All rights reserved.