Before It's Too Late, Kaisa Dodge

Life: an off-white eggshell,
Smooth as porcelain,
So easily broken.

He sees her face –
Worn with care,
Stretched with laughter.
She’s his world;
He forgets to say so.

A smile of approval,
That’s all.
But her mother’s eyes never shine.
Stick-figure drawings,
Carefully typed thesis –
Another day of silence.

Life meets car accident.
An empty hospital bed,
A sudden, dreadful stillness.

“I've regrets aplenty,”
The patient sighs.
The nurse listens
And learns.

Life: an off-white eggshell.
The breaking: inevitable,
Yet timely enough for joy and action.