Fading iris

My mother loved to lie out in the sun.
She loved tanning her skin dark brown to match her eyes.
There was the oddest thing about her eyes, though --
The upper edge of her irises was faded
As if her eyelids had shaded them somehow.

The last time I saw my mother's eyes
They had been closed, shaded for many days
And the irises had faded completely.

Lorene, 14 September 1930 - 6 May 2003