Ink & Interruptions

Deep brown curls tucked

neatly behind pierced ears

Blue eyes never shadowed

with gloom

A woman of strength stood.

A glance into the kitchen and

A sight to be seen—

She spun

From counter to counter

humming songs only she could hear

Too soon her eyes

seemed dull

Her smile not able

to reach quite as far

A woman of strength still stood.

Like a boxer in a ring

she stood toe to toe

Dodging and swinging

with the heavy weight champ

of the most dreadful diseases

Round One: winner

goes to she

Round Two: tie

too close to really see

Next up: round three

Bruised, bloodied, and scarred she steps out of the ring.

She stumbles—falls.

Her hands weak as she pushes herself up.

Heavy steps lead her back towards

Hushed voices and crossed fingers

The rounds lasted longer

The treatments didn’t heal.

Pillows and couches

Her hair laid in piles

Her movements grew slower as the clock counted down

Time’s up.

The whistle blew

Her body fell—

all black and blue

It was over

The war lost

Her husband’s touch

Eyes shut

Hidden tears—A man of strength stood.

Each daughter dressed in black

holding hands as they clung

to memories of story times and sing alongs,

of hugs and kisses that were supposed

To last forever

Everyone sat still in rough wooden pews

Kind words meant to heal, uttered

by a man who no one really knew

One by one, they had to move

The casket adorned

A tombstone now stands

in a grass-filled cemetery

waiting

for us to join.

---

Author’s Note: The original version of “A woman of strength” appeared in The Talon (Northeastern State University, 2017 ). This 2025 version represents a revision of that work.