Between walls of pale lilac she lay,
her body contracting as if to give birth.
But instead of a child at the end of the day
Her soul fought the ties that bind it to earth.
A fearsome struggle starts deep inside,
shown by convulsions that grip her form.
Her breathing resembled a hesitant tide
lasting through hours from dusk to dawn
Sad vigil is kept by the side of her bed
A nurse tells her when she is ready, let go.
Bitterness tinges the words that she said.
'Tell me how, tell me now, if you know”.
The nurse turned her back on the question so clear,
afraid her kind words would add fear and distress.
And the end of a life came another step near,
while the sun through a window sent rays to caress
The violence subsides her breathing is shallow
she lay never moving her eyes fixed ahead
I grip her hand tightly her colour is sallow,
she smiled then was gone leaving only her dread
Roan. Jan 2008
Ann Beard
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/between-walls-of-pale-lilac/
