Failure
By Princess Ruto
My child
You look so peaceful
Asleep
But not dreaming
Dying
And now I must live with the consequences
Of my failure
To find a cure
For this
I only met you
My daughter
Several weeks ago
A twist of fate
And a mysterious phonecall
Led me to you
I step through the automatic doors
That whoosh shut behind me
To see you
To be near you
......
On the bare wall
That single picture you drew
The day before you got sick
Hangs
When you leave me
I will take and keep
Those scribbles
In my heart
.....
Emily
I hold you in my arms now
And sit in the rocking chair
To watch you fade away
And think
Of what will never happen
Your ballet recitals
Your graduation
Your marriage
Your first child
That would not be stolen from you
As you were stolen from me
Emily
I love you
And hate to watch
Your breathing slow
Your life fade
In a tiny sigh
..
God, watch my child
Bear her on angel's wings
Keep her in your care
And let her know how much I loved her
That I wanted to keep her
So much
That I failed
To find the cure
But tried oh so hard
Amen.
