A Yellow Light – A Poem

As I walked towards her,

the first thing I noticed was the yellow kerchief.

It had been artfully tied to cover her head.

She smiled when she saw me.

“It’s so nice to see you,”

she said,

genuinely happy.

“Are you enjoying the day?”

I said to her.

The words felt oddly formal as they fell from my mouth.

I almost felt like bowing,

she had that air about her,

full of light and wonder.

There was a regalness to her,

and if I looked at her out of the corner of my eyes,

I could almost see a sceptre in one arm.

“I’m doing alright, all things considered.”

Even though she spoke at a normal volume,

her words carried weight.

I heard multitudes when she spoke,

looking at me with a gaze of knowing that was so deep,

her eyes recalled the ocean.

“They want me to go on another round of chemo. They must wait until my blood is strong enough.”

She gave her head a small shake.

“Until I’m strong enough. To take the next round, you understand this. I don’t mind the chemotherapy so much. It’s what happens afterwards.”

I knew of the journey she was on,

having been through three rounds of chemo myself,

waiting for my body to be healed enough for the next round,

ready to be destroyed again and wipe away everything,

until there was nothing left to give.

“I wouldn’t mind it so much, if I could tell if it was all worth it.”

She shook her head,

looking away and closing her eyes as a look of sadness crossed her face.

When she looked back at me,

the sadness was gone,

despair hidden away within the deep compartments of her.

“It’s been the same for me,”

I said nervously.

“But I think it’s working. I’m being put on a fourth round later this year.”

She gave me the warmest look,

and I watched as her eyes reclaimed the light.

“That’s amazing,”

she told me.

“Isn’t it strange the journeys that we have to go on? There’s no telling who we will be on the other end of them.”

The words were wise,

but filled with a sadness all the same.

“Would you like a hug?”

I asked her,

wanting to offer her some sort of comfort.

“You’re sweet to offer, you have my thanks.”

She bowed her head towards me,

and I nodded in return.

“And you have mine,”

I told her.

“Are you going to be okay?”

I asked her.

She nodded her head once more.

“Of course. What other way is there to be? Us warriors have to keep going. I’m going out for the first time in forever. I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

A smile fills her face and chases away the shadows.

“That’s right. We have to live, don’t we?”

She give me another royal nod of her head and I understand;

my audience is over.

I bow my head back to her and wish her a pleasant day.

As I make my way back into my building,

I turn and see a yellow light shining around her,

then she is gone,

as if she never was.