Is she staring out or looking
inward as she sits

in a spare room all
neat and efficient squares

and rectangles
her red dress

offsetting the flesh tones
the hospital gray of walls and floors

will she stay

or will she take the plunge
into the night

that's like murky water
but clear enough to see

the outlines of buildings
resembling the splintered planks

and masts of the ship that wrecked
so long ago.

Whit Howland © 2020