CimmerianMuse

Cancer took you away It snuck around at night but also in the day A silent assassin in a warm hideaway You listened and fought Chemo, radiation, surgeries -- all the things you ought Supplements, consults, and therapies These gave you a shot But cancer took you away A father, grandfather, husband and son A believer, a lover, a giver, a hard worker Patient and humble. He liked a good pun A seasoned traveler, but only with his family A man who gave his all for his loved ones But cancer took you away Treatment: with sharp drops and turns On a twisted roller coaster No help in sight, though we yearned Then the coaster became a train End of the tracks, no return And cancer took you away But God brought you home God brought you home Away from the pain, away from earthly fears A healed genome The final resting place, through the pearly gates Singing Shalom We're still here: left behind We face both of these truths Living on edge, confined Missing you every day as you look down in

The creature hovered over her limp body. His eyes, yellow and haunted, watched his fingers as they brushed back a lock of hair from her eyes and pushed it behind her ear. In the distance, shouts, no, a singular shout, bellowed. He didn’t look up, but leaned down until his lips touched the middle of her forehead. A drop of blackened blood fell from his temples and into her blonde hair. The creature grimaced, but didn’t make a move to wipe it away; touching it would only smear it and make the problem worse. When the vampire broke into the clearing, the creature looked up and met his frenzied eyes. The vampire’s chest rose and fell with deep huffs. His features were morphed into a beast’s: clawed talons, fangs, rippling, shredded wings -- useless for flight-- and blood-red eyes. In his frenzy, the blood seemed to pool from those eyes and drip into its hungry mouth. The vampire locked eyes with the creature, saw her body, lifeless in his arms, and leapt to attack. The creature held up a