Wrapping her shawl tightly around her frail body,
she gazes at her worn reflection.
Wrinkles blanket pale, aged skin.
Wispy white curls tangle in the wind.

Sorrow engulfs the frigid air where she rests.
It chills through bone, to her core.
Her veins run twenty below, pure ice. Her heart, a glacier;
frozen since his final departure.

She reminisces the days they had before that letter arrived,
their life journey in which they shared
touches, good mornings, three kids, and a house.
All are merely distant memories now.

She wakes up alone and spots his folded flag;
a piercing shot echoes through her once more.
Once full of promise, her ring renders dull and lifeless,
their last kiss lingers stale on her lips.