This radiant glow,
active serenity pouring from her pores,
stimulating bright responses
from the yearning room
… this lined reflection,
furrowed brow working too hard
to distil understanding
from a wearying world
…this slack-jawed snore,
a pattern of pillows
etched in puffy putty,
escaping through decadent repose
…this dance from lip to eye,
a widening smile of wonder
as she watches tousled heads,
extending her face into wide open arms?
These sorrowing eyes, spilling salt
on ravaged skin,
over lips that clench to hold back words
incoherent,
the pain that stabs the belly and the heart
but merely trickles down the face
of her who finds true stories
rising and falling
and rising again.