endlessly hovering,
ever-present,
not always seen,
felt.

vampire siphoning hope,
circling always,
scouting death.

terror in the
    swoop,
ease in the
    soar —
relief, on loan.

riding currents,
haunting
the sky
above,

cancer: a constant threat,
  Defiable but
undefeatable…

the vulture of mortality
not always seen,
but felt
blots the light,
the shadow of its wings
passing over me
once more
  and again
   once more
    and again.

Originally written: fragments - 2/7-8, 2026