Betty

The respirator hummed and clicked away

a percussion ensemble, beating the rhythm of life

Hurooooom-click Hurooooom-click

She lay wrapped in her favorite linens

The warm embrace of her memories

Filled the room

Swirling and dancing with the somber music

Hurooooom-click Hurooooom-click

My mothers hand on her arm

She lets out a soft murmur

With no words, she speaks the love of a lifetime

Lyrics to the swelling composition

Hurooooom-click Hurooooom-click

The nurse hands us pictures

Flooded in from relatives in Scotland

Trembling hands sift softly through the photos

Distant performers in her life’s orchestra

Hurooooom-click Hurooooom-click

Her body is frail,

A baby bird in its nest

Her spirit chirps the melodies

Learned in the morning of her life

Hurooooom-click Hurooooom-click

Later that day she would pass

Leaving an echo of her kindness

A sweet song of sorrow

Playing eternally in our hearts