“One Small Flame”
Up the curving drive
On our way to the lobby
Thoughts of wine and sunset
Filling our minds...
She caught my eye
Beneath the sheltering trees
Waving slender fingers
From her wheelchair...
Ten or so years old
Pure joy on her face
From catching the winds touch...
As parents behind smiled...
Hair tousled by the breeze
She never noticed us
As we drove slowly by
Caught in reverie at the ocean’s taste...
How can such delight exist
Amidst those limitations?
The heart swells to breaking
At nature’s blind cruelty...
Then the moment turns
Into a soul’s triumph
Of spirit over damage
As her smile embeds itself...
Into everyman’s faith
Of victory over loss
Her small flame of hope
A gift for all to see...
The confounding wonder
Takes the breath away
As it fills emptiness
With trust in miracles...
As humanity’s indomitable spirit grows and connects each of us.
Paul Colaluca (10/4/09)