I just discovered this. I'll try it out. This poem has some Spanish in it. I hope you don't mind. In my word doc. the Spanish is italicized. I don't really want to go through the whole thing here and do that. Just pretend.
Death is simply a part of life.
However, I did not expect to brush up against it today.
See, she has leukemia—cancer of the blood; it’s what makes us all mortal.
She is a strong woman and keeps this secret under wraps
(it’s not a secret; I just didn’t know; I never asked)
On days when she feels a little deprimida she wears black
The deceptive curves and shadows help her feel thin.
She says that there is a new medicine
But it’s experimental
and she and her husband don’t know
if their insurance will cover the costs.
¿Vale condenar a esta mujer fuerte y valiente
a una muerte temprana?
And it all started with an innocent question:
—So, how come you’re not teaching?
—Because of my health. I wouldn’t be a dependable teacher.
You see, I have leukemia.
Will she ever be a mother?
And what about her husband?
—What a patient and loving man.
I just wanted to reach out, grab her hand and say
…pobrecita
But she would have none of that
After all, ella es muy fuerte.
I complemented her by saying she would be a strong lecturer
She smiled, repressed a laugh, said thanks
and immediately discounted her genius
God has given this woman an eternal memory
In her mind reside a thousand volumes of a thousands years of Mexico
Ella es México
Ella es mexicana
Ella está enferma
Her name is the marriage of man/woman
Her compassion is balanced by her commitment
(Ella es una mujer muy cumplida)
Her affection is balanced by her tenacity
(Tiene opiniones fuertes)
Her passion?—well, her passion is exhibited
in the way she lives her life—con vigor
I admire this woman
And I admire her husband
Two souls who have found a connection
That supercedes life itself
To face life and death together
The greatest of all loves
Mortality came up and smacked me in the face
A mixture of respect, humble admiration, sorrow
pity, longing and fear
Fear of the unknown and fear of the known
Death is simply a part of life.
However, I did not expect to brush up against it today.
See, she has leukemia—cancer of the blood; it’s what makes us all mortal.
She is a strong woman and keeps this secret under wraps
(it’s not a secret; I just didn’t know; I never asked)
On days when she feels a little deprimida she wears black
The deceptive curves and shadows help her feel thin.
She says that there is a new medicine
But it’s experimental
and she and her husband don’t know
if their insurance will cover the costs.
¿Vale condenar a esta mujer fuerte y valiente
a una muerte temprana?
And it all started with an innocent question:
—So, how come you’re not teaching?
—Because of my health. I wouldn’t be a dependable teacher.
You see, I have leukemia.
Will she ever be a mother?
And what about her husband?
—What a patient and loving man.
I just wanted to reach out, grab her hand and say
…pobrecita
But she would have none of that
After all, ella es muy fuerte.
I complemented her by saying she would be a strong lecturer
She smiled, repressed a laugh, said thanks
and immediately discounted her genius
God has given this woman an eternal memory
In her mind reside a thousand volumes of a thousands years of Mexico
Ella es México
Ella es mexicana
Ella está enferma
Her name is the marriage of man/woman
Her compassion is balanced by her commitment
(Ella es una mujer muy cumplida)
Her affection is balanced by her tenacity
(Tiene opiniones fuertes)
Her passion?—well, her passion is exhibited
in the way she lives her life—con vigor
I admire this woman
And I admire her husband
Two souls who have found a connection
That supercedes life itself
To face life and death together
The greatest of all loves
Mortality came up and smacked me in the face
A mixture of respect, humble admiration, sorrow
pity, longing and fear
Fear of the unknown and fear of the known
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