It lay forgotten in a pile of scattered potting soil, the green spider leg-like leaves splayed across the cream colored carpet. It was the only thing out of place in the room, apart from her absence, the humming and puffing of one machine, and the intermittent beeps from another. Silence. My mother sits quietly in the rocker, staring blankly at the mess. I think to clean up the dirt, to re-bury the plant's roots to keep i...