At the End

[on Jane and Betsy]

The woman with cancer

opened the door

for me

we greeted each other

and I thought and said

"you must be Jane"

and I asked for the caretaker

of the woman who is dying of cancer

the one leaving huge teardrops

wherever she stands

feeling the passion and love

they have shared

and the days left

with each other

and the presence

of Death between

their sheets at night

and the caretaker

of the woman with cancer

managed a small laugh

and ate a little

so much more

in her anxious state

than her patient

who had not eaten

in two weeks

and Death hovered

nearby

hanging in the air

draping the garden pots

and the hanging planters

like lanterns below

the canopy of trees

in a space of greenery

and color they had

arranged and loved

together

and the Love in the house

and the anticipated moment

of the last goodbye

filled every corner

and shelf

but the friendly

chatter of this

one afternoon held off

the scorching heat

that made it a chore to play

and wilted the breath

of a cancerous woman's

dying day.

@ Austin 8/11/00