Benediction
By Evelyn Frank Hanna

Cleo is dying and he envies her dignity,
the way she greets the pain like an old lover.
She's in labor again, giving birth
to her eternity, to his new life alone.
She holds on a little longer, staying
until his pain grows
so strong she knows he can love her
enough
not to want her to stay.

Evelyn Frank Hanna is a family day care provider in Galway, N. Y. Her poetry has appeared in The Christian Science Monitor, in the Our Voices anthology, and in Poetpourri, Pudding and other journals. She also has poetry forthcoming in Potpourri. Her work has been honored in several contests, including publication as a Special Merit winner and as a Finalist in the Fall/Winter 2001 Comstock Review awards issue.