Rosalie

This afternoon,
from a window in Heaven,
you heard your admirers
trying to share you
with all the newcomers:
telling them
you were beautiful.

This afternoon,
in your room at the hospice,
you were finally sleeping.
I knew all at once
that I had to be brief,
so I whispered
“You are beautiful.”

This afternoon,
by the door of your classroom,
a group of your students -
on their own time, no less!
-lingered and loitered,
and saw for themselves:
you were beautiful

I thought about you
through this hard afternoon.
I found myself wanting
to send something back to you.
I asked you, "Hey Ro,
are you all right up there?"
and I wondered
if you were aware


of how much we wished
we could get you to take us
to that day in your life -
or just give us the name
of the man in whose silence
you covered yourself
whenever we said
you were beautiful.