After A Life Well Lived

The face now etched from a thousand smiles, the lines on brow from eyebrows raised in wonder. The sharp pains that jab on my right side recall carrying the younger on my hip to chase the elder before he crossed the curb into traffic, both grown strong and tall, not sure how many times we saved their lives. As I drift off to sleep I dream that this worn out cocoon of mine will tear and reveal a butterfly, waving its orange wings as it escapes through the open window and sails into the meadow to drink nectar from the flowers like those I once placed on her bedside table.