April 30, 2012
At first
She was just a shadow
Moving down the long dark hallway
Just a shadow
Flickering in the room light
From the far end of the hall.
The shadow swayed. Her long loose skirt
Drifting back and forth
Almost like a broom
Sweeping something out.
Something about her made me think
I knew her, and I glanced up as she came near.
I said, in that way
You say to strangers
Whom you might or ought to know
Good morning.
Less risky than, Hello.
She nodded as she passed.
In a single glance I saw her face
Her hollowed eyes
Her sallow skin
Her smile so brief and tentative
Like the flash of light before a leap
From off a bridge.
After she had passed
I heard a muffled gasp
As if she suddenly let loose
The hand that followed her
From within the room toward which I moved
The nursing section.
There, the sick
Who always look so paper white
Recuperate
Or don't. And their young ones
Help them down the hall
Or walk the hall alone.
And crying,
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mlambere
scupper
Dianne Schuch - Lindsey
Poor Woman
hilarad
skypixie0
Salon.com
Comments
"...Her long loose skirt
Drifting back and forth
Almost like a broom
Sweeping something out." visually stunning...
The shadow swayed. Her long loose skirt
Drifting back and forth
Almost like a broom
Sweeping something out.