"Show me something beautiful"  
She whispered through heartbreak tears.
So I showed her architecture that graced the sky,
Paintings to make the stoic weep,
Dresses that received acclaim from Queens.

"No, show me something beautiful"
Her spirit weakening, her colors turning translucent.
So I showed her the mountain tops at sunrise,
The ocean aglow with sunset,
The prairie on the perfect spring day.

"I beg, show me something beautiful"
Her breath catching on her parched tongue.
So I showed her parents joy at the birth of a infant,
The baby's contagious belly laugh,
A mother's saddened pride at the first day of school.

I walked her through a life time of unbridled love-
Love without demands,
Love without prejudice,
Love without judgment.

The pain lines in her face smoothed slightly as I continued
To show her the unabashed joy-
Joy without bounds,
Joy without tempering,
Joy without sorrow's taint.

Hope surged through my being and I took another path
describing in detail innocence-
Innocence without knowledge,
Innocence without hate,
Innocence without molest.

She looked at me with clarity for the first time in months
Smiled softly and whispered "Thank you."
I kissed her lips and smoothed back her hair.
Her eyes closed, her hand in mine slackened.

I laid my head upon her still chest,
And as i started to weep
I heard her voice, softly in my head
"Thank you, dear.  Now I may rest in peace."