Grandma, tangled in pink ribbon, 

hesitant to unveil the news she bears,

embraces me

with reassurance

from the fresh batch of muffins by the entryway.

Grandma, with dense bags under her eyes

that are full of tears

that refused to fall,

opens the door

with a heartbroken sigh

that echoes through the emptiness inside my soul.

Grandma, with a heart 

that leaks a tender warmth  

only to find its way into another,

sits across from me

with eyes

that luster with silent agony.

Grandma Jane, whose love and name connects to me, Ella Jane,

with a titanium rope—

tugs on it a little too hard,

so that my eyes release an outpouring of salt water.

Grandma, with a thin head of hair

even more determined to stay on her head than before,

smiles her crackling smile

and embraces me one more time

knowing she will never be the same.

Grandma, amidst the sterile surroundings

readily holds onto an umbrella

beneath the bright blue sky

as she lays on the operating table,

knowing she will wake up

to a daunting storm—

determined to untangle.

Grandma, now with pockets nearly bare,

still lets others’ grasping hands reach down

as far as they desire.

Grandma, with two long scars 

that lug across her chest,

lives untangled and set free.