Beep after beep,
the tightness of the cuff increases
at the doctor’s knock.
He holds horror in his hand,
for Rosalia and her father.
Shock freezes her father while
innocence blocks Rosalia.

Cough after cough,
followed by a breath,
rip her throat, destroying her body.
Her last cough, and her last breath escape
after 730 days of strength. For her father,
14,600 days of heartbreak begin and
he wonders, why me?  A priest
wraps her in linens, piece after piece,
tighter than their bond.

Thud after thud,
my heart rate increases.
Dad, without you, my loneliness grows,
how could you leave me locked
in this horrid, hollow hole?
Encaged in my body, and trapped in my mind,
sickness, sadness, shame flood me.
As each day passes,
my strength grows,
my loneliness grows and
my sorrow grows.