Mother

[Semicircle]

Thread and needle;
a patchwork,
spanning farther,
longer, wider–
time’s passage
filtered through it.



Frail fingers delicately
loop and contort,
quietly mulling over every stitch.
Eyes rolling like a coma patient
dreaming vividly.


Children and animals,
inhabiting the squares
smiling, cheering, 
romping through dandelions–
like they used to.


After years melted over
She draped the finished quilt on her bed
and climbed in, spent and tired,
resting so deeply,
she didn't wake up.