By Teresa Schreiber Werth

I’m praying for women I’ve never met.
As I lay down and close my eyes, names tumble into my consciousness
Like cottonwood seeds, descending from a quiet, summer sky.
Each day I’m touched as the tangled threads of our lives entwine.
A daughter of a friend, a mother, a neighbor’s sister, cousin, co-worker.
One by one, they take their place in my nightly prayers:
Theo, whose tumor they hope to shrink. Lisa, who’s traded chemo for morphine.
Maureen and Suzanne, strangers all, but sisters of a stranger sort.
We’ve never met, but we have met the enemy
And it’s not us.
We’ve cried and cursed, wailed and shaken angry fists at a rotten fate, at a physical failing, a cause unknown.
We’ve hoped and prayed, trusted, queried,
Asked, begged and believed
Until there are no more words,
Only the slish of oars skimming the water,
Softly whispering, “Hope, hope, hope…”

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Donna Henes is the author of The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife. She offers counseling and upbeat, practical and ceremonial guidance for individual women and groups who want to enjoy the fruits of an enriching, influential, purposeful, passionate, and powerful maturity. Consult the MIDLIFE MIDWIFE™

The Queen welcomes questions concerning all issues of interest to women in their mature years. Send your inquiries to thequeenofmyself@aol.com.