The first breath of air,
Always the freshest,
Always new despite my years

I hoist my eyelids open;
The sunlight burns my eyes.

After a few blinks,
I smile.

This sunlit sting is all that remains
Of the days before;
It is all that will remain
In the days ahead.

I watch the farmer step onto his porch,
Mug of bitter-scented coffee in his hand.

He watches me in return,
The smile on his face his only acknowledgement.

I greet him each morning,
My fragrant vines wrapping around the ancient poles
Which I've learned to love.

They are my home
Just as they have been for ages.

His children are next to rise,
Their bubbling voices emerging before they do.

I can recall their laughter even now,
A sound meaning the day will be good to them
Despite the grief that hangs low
Like fog in the longest of winter nights.

His wife will not wake.
She has not woken for weeks.

As I watch the family begin their day,
I wonder what happened to her.

What happened to the farmer’s wife?

She had long hair
I think it was brown
Her eyes were green
A color akin to the leaves that coat my skin

She always had a thin smile
The smile of a mother
Tired
Content

Her favorite dress was blue
The color of the sky come down to land

One day
She began to lose her hair
I watched it fall out in pieces
I watched her cry and write letters to her children
She talked to me

"I'll miss you" she told me
"Watch over my children" she told me
"Keep my husband safe from harm" she told me

I will
I wanted to tell her
But I could not speak

The black vehicle came one night
It was summer
It came around the back,
where I could not see

When it left
I did not realize I would never see her again

I think I know why
I know why the farmer cries
I know why her children's calls for her,
always at night,
are left unanswered.

She is gone.
For good.