artifact

once the source of laughter
on a christmas eve
bringing a child’s face aglow
as if sprinkled with glittery star dust
now homeless
an aging inhuman artifact
unceremoniously wedged between
a copy of modern medicine
and an article on dying with dignity
residing along a deserted road
abandoned with childish disregard
now her constant companions
an old black and white tv
and her well-worn reclining chair
that stand guard over her
as if an attending physician
her eyes are now vacant
so many promises of god’s redemptive grace
yet the steady throbbing of pain
every solar rotation
every eclipse of the sun
the pain remains
she wonders
when does one die
is it when the heart stops
or
is this
it