frosted lens one secret eye,
it’s time almost gone,
other vibrant blue watery,
she waited to be served
packaged meals enough for
a few days,
tremors with age
cellular collapse,
life’s abrupt stoop to spine,
coat drawn snug,
cold reaches more easily
through mottled paper,
her turn,
trolley a support to feet
more unsteady than an infant,
red leather handbag
leather fashion for forty years
cracked and glazed,
pleased to talk to the assistant
juddering conversation,
sprawled out topics of conversation
no linear trail,
topics of weather,
her husband passed twenty years,
lack of pension,
always broke,
children dispersed seed unconnected
and when she was younger
flew planes in the Pacific
a job few knew of,
no government medal,
yet she offered her life
as she did now to survival,
gnarled arthritic hands
struggled with notes and coins
tomorrow a fragile
premise
This is so poignant! A tragic story and one which I know intimately from those around me. Thanks for sharing.
Nicely crafted. You flesh her out with some skill.
Nice capture of her life, past and present ~ It makes me sad to see her fragile and broken ~
Fantastic story. A little sad, but still a fulfilled life.
Wow, I feel as if I know her… I can see her in my mind. What a wonderful lady.
Really sad story of something that is all to common – why do we allow this and fail to realise that we too will be old some day…
Thank you for this wonderul but sad write.
Anna :o]
Heart-breaking. So much changes for an individual over the years, doesn’t it? She once flew planes over the Pacific. Look at her now! Who knows what the future holds for any of us?
A very sad and real situation. Nice write.
A complete portrait created with such fine precision of words.
Gosh, the details here – that well-loved handbag brought a lump to my throat.
Reblogged this on 5oh9.
wow…she is quite the survivor and you captured her life story a bit in this…really cool on your descriptions…i can see her…the paper coat as well…i bet she could tell a story or two you know…
oh i love how you capture her and you even give us a deeper glimpse into her story…
Some really well written visual images here. It’s like I can “see” what your writing about.