As Mother aged

And her husband passed away

Children busy with their own lives

Loneliness became her companion

Then came a stroke

Deprived her brain’s capacity

To store words

Rendered her life isolated

Her inner world difficult to discern

Sorrows piled up in her heart

She couldn’t vocalize them

Nor would they dissipate

When overwhelmed

Only tears could come forth

They trickled down her cheeks

Regardless of joy or sadness

By Shih-Fang Wang

From: United States