She stands at one end of the verandah –

A naked bulb glows
At the other end,
Staining the dark floor
With dull yellow light

Beyond the empty ward
Drag echoes of the autumn night

From pillar to pillar
In severe silence
Skulk slithery shadows

Out alone in the cold she stands
Night after night
Fighting her demons!

Her body, frail and brittle
Flaps leaf-like, on
Two glass feet