His Stillness

....
"There are things we can do which might give you time,
but we cannot cure you." My father said,
"Thank you." And he sat, motionless, alone,
with the dignity of a foreign leader.
....

This is one of the many poems Sharon Olds wrote about her father being diagnosed, treated for, and eventually dying from cancer. Though really what she is often writing about is seeing her father, and their relationship, with fresh eyes. Because he did not react as she expected him to - possibly wanted him to? - her paradigm shifts, her understanding of the past alters, her respect grows. As he is given notice of the imminent end to his mortality, so she is given the grace of his immortality within herself.