Saturday, June 27, 2009

Poem - Legacy

Legacy

By Carole Shukle

Copyright 1998


Thinking of “Downy”

for doing the laundry,

I penciled “s-o-f-t-n-e-r”

on my grocery list.


Frustrated, I drew a line

through it.


The second time,

I wrote “s-o-p-h-n-e-r.”


Panicked, I scribbled it out

like a child coloring.


FLASHES

OF MOM’S

ALZHEIMER’S

STRUCK

LIKE LIGHTNING

SINGEING

MY ESSENCE

WITH ZIGZAGS

OF WHITE-HOT FEAR.


Finally, I wrote “s-o-f-t-e-n-e-r.”


LIKE A DAM

BREAKING,

CASCADING

RELIEF

FLOODED

MY BODY.


I whispered thanks to God,

grabbed my car keys,

and went shopping .


*Published in Portals, Spring, 1999

16 comments:

  1. Great Carole, makes you stop and think for sure.

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  2. Carole, great poem! I always have to think for spelling!

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  3. LOL, yeah it was pretty scary. thanks, Marlene and Pam.

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  4. Wow. I can relate! So many of us with Alzheimers in the family get panicky when normal memory has a hiccup (or two..). Thanks, great poem choice!

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  5. Powerful poem and something we can all identify with in one way or another.

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  7. =) Thanks, Carole! So true, Jomo and Juana - this hits very close to home for many people, I suspect.

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  8. you just had a senior moment!
    Great post and something to think about.
    We all have those days when a certain word just does not look right no matter how we spell it.
    Hugs
    Patti

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  9. I think most of us can relate to that poem. It can be frightening, but they say (who are they anyway?) Just like being crazy, if you think you might be-you're not.

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  10. always nice to read all the poetry on your blog! ;)

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