last week in austin

i met someone

who will 

die soon. 

i looked back

at her, listening 

as she shared 

her life with me, 

learning that she’d soon be

leaving her husband

in the position

we all find ourselves in.

cancer was there, 

staring me in the 

face but all 

i could see was

one of the strongest

people i had ever met. 

i cried with her

(yeah, in public, in front of lots of other people)

and told her

that there was

a community of people

that would be there

for her husband

in case

(when?)

he needed it. 

she nodded at me. 

she knew that. 

she was there to 

say thanks for giving her

hope, to say thanks

in advance. 

…

it just ruins me

to hear from 

people like her, 

to know that there will

soon be another 

family like yours, ours, 

but it’s further

proof of the 

power of community, 

and a reminder that sometimes

(just by talking and writing about our situations)

we can change

the future for others.