Every Breath

She once had freedom,
a life of freewill now gone,
for her age captured her
in her mind, now imprisoned.

Independence stolen,
as the years moved on.
The joy of life, too, soon gone;
watching her health erode.

She'd try to know if she was alive
every night and every morning;
lying in bed she would listen
to every wheezing breath.

It was that breath that
reminded her of an existence
so complete, yet deep down
inside she knew she was already
dead.