A Glimpse... Poem by Lee Degnan

The old woman waited,
standing on the sidwalk
watching the round-about
She seems frail,
a long life, weighted
on hunched shoulders
Yet a look of contentment
nonetheless in her eyes
As the car approaches
she starts to it
A woman, middle-aged,
and obviously her daughter
quickly jumps out of the car
and hurries to her mother
to assist the old woman
The old woman ducks
the outstretched arm holding
the door for her,
scurrying into the car
(refusing to believe that
she would need such help! Imagine!)
with a haste that startled
the younger woman
The younger woman's rebuts only
fell on selectively deaf ears.

As they drove away,
I couldn't help but cry.
Such an ordinary, everyday occurrence
never to be remembered
by anyone...
but me.
The defiance of the old woman and her will
The tenderness of the daughter
and the her appreciation, subconscious,
That she has this time with her mother.
I said a prayer for them...
I prayed that the daughter never forgets
and the old woman
enjoyed her life and that it was full.
And as I returned to my
mother's hospital room,
a surprise pang of jealousy
and regret overwhelmed me.
The search for answers
I know I would never find
filled and crushed my heart...
I entered my mother's room quietly
and sat by her side while she slept.
I prayed for God's guidance
and my mother's peace.
And I watched her beautiful
young face throughout the night.