the finish line

i imagine her multiplying
spinning from one cell into two and four and then 200,
laying bricks and setting up house
to grow and grow and grow

every move a tiny miracle, a nod to a gracious Mother Nature

so many hurdles to clear
as the weeks tick on

and she jumped over them like a prize winning runner, dashing towards winning, towards life

but in the middle of these miracles it lay, so silently and cruelly

to come so close to making it to the other side… like tripping at the finish line

my lips curl sadly and proudly upwards, looking at how far she came

because we got so close
we got so fucking close