It grips at my tense, timid heart

A wave of fright, a wave of terror

It threatens to drain her soul

Steal the life from the veins of one already corpse

And leave only a nostalgic memory

A glimpse of a pair of once warm, bright eyes

under her dark-as-a-moonless-night eyebrows

It hurts in a manner that no tone can grasp

Hurts to watch her diminish into her own mind

I'm still here

Keep awake each day, each heartbeat

Find an extraordinary hope, a romantic readiness

Pursue the lost, essential chapter in the manuscript of life

For that is the single promise of victory