Beautiful Flashes of Life

Grandma Clara knew this day would come,
so she put on her favorite blue & white dress.
She had been waiting for this, for a long time.

Clara switched the television channel to the 
one her grandkids watched all the time.

She  pulled up her wheelchair, stowed 
it neatly in the corner.  Clara didn’t 
want her son/grandkids, stumbling over 
it when they ran into the bedroom.
 
She wanted this to be a happy time, 
a very good memory for them.

Clara removed the oxygen tube 
from her nose and sat on the bed,
waiting for the wheeze to greet her.

She pulled out her  photo album 
from the nightstand, opened it, 
flipped carefully through every page.

Outside, Clara heard a car pull up.
She knew it was them, finally now.
A tear fell from the corner of her eye. 

The time had come.  Clara laid down 
in bed.  She felt her hand fall off ,  
her feet go flat, then numb

and every beautiful flashes of her life,
(not a single one deciding to stay behind)
greeted Clara like it was the first time.