The crowd shivers. The piano plays.
Brought forth from pockets, hands raise.
Lighters spark. The fire glows.
Lips mimic words we know.

The meaning differs for one mother.
The lyrics move her like no other.
Her words lost. Her jaw drops.
On her daughter, her gaze stops.

They spent past nights in despair.
Now, hope, a breath of fresh air.
The melody that plays tonight,
Gives the daughter strength to fight.

Fight, although her taste will rot,
Hair will fall, stomach will knot.
Fight, although the chemo drains,
And fills her with foreign pains.

I wonder when did she last smile?
Genuinely, it has been a while.
Beating cancer is beyond rough,
My friend, I know, is strong enough.

I see her standing with the crowd.
I want to hug her, say I’m proud.
And her eyes, hopeful, glisten.
That’s why, to her song, I listen.

Mary Jane's writing obsession started in 7th grade (writing low-quality fanfiction). Later, she discovered how to develop her own stories, and now she’s in Professional Writing at Algonquin college to take her fiction to the next level. Oh, and she’s still a huge nerd.