If it had been a heart attack, the newspapermight have used the word ,as if a...

If it had been a heart attack, the newspaper
might have used the word ,
as if a mountain range had opened
inside her, but instead
it used the word , a light coming on
in an empty room. The telephone
fell from my shoulder, a black parrot repeating
a sunday, dusky. If it had been
, we could have cradled her
as she grew smaller, wiped her mouth,
said good-bye. But it was ,
how overnight we could be orphane