Prayer Sustains

• Prayer Sustains • She sits in a straight-back chair, unmoving, Slumped slightly to the left. They have seated her with others All sitting in a straight line in the rec room, Attending a Trivia Q and A session. But she is alone. She is alone, trapped Within herself. I have come to visit my friend. More than sixty years ago We reveled in our youth, Agile, able, preparing to meet the world, Mastering the skills we would need For our futures. Bright, quick to laugh, She learned with ease And confronted the world With confidence. Teacher, wife, mother, Cherished daughter with proud Gaelic roots, Devoted sister. even in the middle She shone. Fluent in her second tongue, The mellifluous French words sounded, once, Like flowing harp music, gentle on her tongue, Blending in grace, soft and sweet. Irony, it is. Her once passionate words Now barely escape her quivering lips, Muted sounds unable to convey her meaning Even to the careful listener. The relentless disease, still progressing. Has abandoned her to the margins. Trapped inside an impaired body. My friend is withering, Yet her prayer rises like incense.