The only disturbance
on this early Spring afternoon
were the sudden wisps of wind
that moved the hair
away from your face.
I could see you-
as you sat there,
quiet and unsure.

Your face held on tightly
to its concrete smile
but I noticed how it shook..
you tried to look away.
Despite nature’s best efforts
to deceive me
into believing that
this day could be flawless,
when I looked at you,
worried thoughts began
to run a marathon
using my mind
as their track.


The wrinkles that sprout
from the corners of your eyes
helped hold on
to the tears
that you couldn’t
hide from me anymore.

Your words were long,
drawn out and tired with explanation.
Each letter disappeared-
the only phrase lingering ..
“..breast cancer..”

My ears refused
to accept this.
The song of our
wind chime,
and a buzz of a bee
all became loud enough
to compete with
the alarms that
sounded in my mind,
trying their best
to help me drown out
the words
you had told me..