My Best Friend, Xena

She is strong, fierce, and brave.
She never cowers before her enemies
Be they mortal or god.

She is a mighty warrior
That others hope to one day defeat
So that they might be the one that people fear.

But there is another side that few people ever see.
A woman who still mourns her younger brother,
dead and buried long ago.

A woman who thought it best to give up her son,
but now would like nothing more
than to have him back in her life.

She feels that she still has a lot to atone for in her past.
And she is someone I am proud to call my best friend.

Mary E. Terrell
(c)January 10, 1998