Cancer

Rooted in nascent immaturity,
Some seeds do not grow but
Coalesce into mutant chrysalis.
Seemingly dormant for decades
An inner core, plots and drives
Marginal cells to multiply.
Their numbers increase,
Insidiously sapping nutrients from the host.
Perhaps dreaming of higher glory,
Their single-minded proliferation
Severs the symbiosis.

Outside: flesh is emptied husk
Breaths in rhythm with mechanical hiss
Her face is wrinkled, wan,
Blending with white-washed walls
Eyes sunken, sightless,
Spittle dribbling down
the corners of her mouth.
With sympathetic mask, worn thin
From overuse, the opposable fingers grasp
The switch.
Wails of grief reverberate across the room.
Then soft sobs punctuate
Details of the memorial service.