Because I Stopped For Death

Today I spied
an old woman walking on the street.
It took me a minute to realize
that the picture was not quite right.
She was walking in the middle of a busy lane
with her back facing traffic.
Her progress was slow—
one foot carefully placed after the other.
She was dressed impeccably;
her eyes had a far-away look.

"Madam," I said a few times,
before she turned around.
Hazel eyes focused on me,
then unfocused and slipped away.
"Don't you think it's dangerous
to walk thus, in the middle of a busy street?"
She shrugged imperceptibly
and walked off the street and onto the sidewalk.

I continued on my own walk,
only to miss being hit by
a careless driver, cradling a phone
with barely an eye on the road.

I saved Death from itself that day
and the favor was returned.
I was left wondering,
"What in the world would cause Death
to seek an end."