red tulips
clustered in a vase beside your bed
cut freshly against their will
they would rather fight to stay
planted in moist mother earth
tasting the sunlight and whispering wind
with promises of tomorrow's cycle
but chosen instead
to bring life into
the room where you now lay
growing weaker each moment
a contrast to the vibrant birth
just outside your door
then I notice
the fallen petals
crimson
like drops of precious blood on the floor
reminding me
that you, too
are dying on a spring day.
 

Nicole E. Webel, M.D.
Class of 1998