Kay Comini
her suffering ended just before dawn
leaving a small mound of freckles and bones on the bed
in what had been the living room years ago
before the brain tumor and blindness.
she had red hair, curly red hair
freckles everywhere, freckles
i babysat for her when her parents
my cousins went dancing.
we played guessing games
i told her about clouds
she taught me to read braille
liked to feel the sun on her face
she remembered colors
green grass blue tricycle
her motherís red lipstick.
saw them in her dreams
canadian cobalt radiation
took away her flaming hair
silk sheets alleviated the pain of touching
morphine made her drowsy at the end
the day she died
i stood at my kitchen window
washing dishes
it was my birthday
i watched mr. Dell carry her to his hearse
my daughter kicked in my belly.
Copyright (c) 2004 by Kay Comini