Poem--Sacrifice

With the desperate precision,
And the deadly accuracy
With which a surgeon would amputate
His own limb –
Knowing it cannot be saved…

With the resolute calm,
And the resigned acceptance
With which a musician would accept
His loss of hearing—
Knowing it to be but Destiny…

With the glazed certainty,
And the numbness of inevitability
With which a soldier would march
Into a raging battle field,
Knowing that Death awaited…

With the serene smile,
And the unshaken demeanor
With which a nurse would serve
Those dying of Disease,
Knowing that it had conquered her too...

On Love's own altar, at the hands of Fate,
Thus shall love be sacrificed!