time is not a promise

Her golden-hued curls 

always caught the 

sunlight

just right and her

white chicklet smile

could stop your heart 

when she aimed it 

at you,

eyes of emerald 

that sparkled when a 

moment of laughter 

over came her

which was quite often.

As a child of 

innocence 

with a mind full 

of curiosity

she was the star 

of her world,  

as she was the star

of her parent's world.

But it took only 

a moment

for the star's twinkle 

to fade 

and for a world 

to be

permanently altered

without warning

or reason,

when disease attacks

ravaging innocence

rendering parents 

to their knees

because they

assumed many

more days and 

a bright future

awaited.

But without apology,

suffering revealed 

it's deceitful face

and with it

brought death- 

A loss unexplainable

and sudden.

How will they deal

with such pain?

And the rest of us-

we're left heavy-hearted

but grateful 

for every minute

we have left 

with our loved ones.

**this is a poem for Oneshot Wednesday and imperfect prose.  The pediatric ICU was a sad place today as a healthy five year old was ravaged by an unknown infection this week that took her life unexpectedly.   My heart's been heavy and my thoughts have been with this family all day today.