hope is the last eye lash left
when you are bereft of
all other hair on your head
when it died overnight
after the second chemo
did its best
when you stare at your
reflection in mirror glass and
don’t recognize yourself
because the cancer has
invaded every part
of your body
so you take your mascara
from your cosmetic purse and
with its wand you build up
layers to give some
definition
to that one lonely lash
because surrender
is not a word that resides
in your dictionary