Sad eyes refuse to bear false witness
to who she was. They remain protected
behind many-colored masks she wears.
She has become a ghost, haunted by
visions of her former self.

She is the nested Babushka doll
heart hollowed out, bottled up inside
the replica of the replica
of her shrinking self, original
soon to be mere remembrance.

Her mind has lost its grasp on details:
how the unraveling occurred and
when it first began. There is a face,
his face, and eyes that refused to tell
anything but truth to her.

In a deeper place she understands;
better part of her has gone with him,
and while she prays, longs for his return,
she knows life offers no guarantee,
has taken its toll on her.