Shirley Hanley Poems

The cats outside
just brought me
a head, a pair of wings
and a heart.
...

Mama's gone...

The call came at 8: 30 AM
the voice on the phone
...

I stumbled past a mirror
just a bit ago,
saw someone
I did not recognize
...

How blessed am I
here in the rainforest
with her myriad voices
of unknown birds
...

To know the infinite...
you have but to look
at the evening sky...
...

Hospice...
A liberating thing...
A gift of peace...
A beacon of light
...

Here I stand
gazing at your lifeless body before me...

Tears running down...
...

I’ve got a bad case of the I don’t wanta’s
For six years it’s clung to me
Like an unwanted friend...
...

Life in the slow lane
suits me fine
until someone living
in the fast lane
...

How old are you?
How long have you been on this earth I asked
as I squished you between my thumb and forefinger...?
...