Stricken I lie,
vulnerable
yet not totally despairing.
For what is death,
if only to be faced once!
I will not concede defeat.
I will smile through it all!
For what is life,
but a transitory phase!
For what is pain,
but a fleeting discomfort!
I will overcome,
I will triumph.
When I walk through
those grim corridors
and face that blinding
shining light
that beckons me,
I will welcome the
newness of surging emotion.
For I will have
by then
lived, loved
and experienced life
to its fullest
and be ready for
whatever lies beyond!