Saturday, March 6, 2010

Sunday Scribblings: Fluent

This happened yesterday.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The call comes
while I am walking.

Nancy says, “Mom
fell and is in the hospital

with a cracked pelvis
and other injuries.”

As Nancy talks
I picture my mom

so healthy until five
years ago when cancer

struck. Since then
she’s had heart surgery,

compression fractures,
infections, falls,

bruises, and now this.
My beautiful mother

who never hurt anyone,
is now fluent

in the language
of pain.

15 comments:

anthonynorth said...

This is so sad. And I can feel your pain in the words, too.

Dee Martin said...

Oh Linda, prayers for your mom and you and your whole family. Sometimes I think it is harder to watch someone we love in pain than it would be to be in pain ourselves.

Stan Ski said...

Much of that pain must be felt by all who love her.

keiths ramblings said...

What a moving piece. It must have been difficult to write, but I hoped it eased the pain you must feel too.

Becca said...

Wow. This pierced my heart.

My prayers for you and your mother.

Alone on the Isle said...

This is a beautifully painful piece. I hope your mother is doing alright. She is in my prayers.

rob kistner said...

A moving piece, and the surprise of using fluent to describe a relationship with pain is very effective. This work is sad, but very engaging -- well written...

...rob

Gemma Wiseman said...

Usually fluency is regarded as an asset. But here, ironically, fluency bares another face! A clever piece!

Jae Rose said...

A touching piece. As with the others, I hope your mum soon knows the language of healing..Jae

Americanising Desi said...

this really is sad and it aches!

Frantic Fluency

TJ said...

my heart hurts for you.

Anonymous said...

Hug. This was the last misery my poor father suffered before he died. It broke my heart to see him so shattered. still he found ways to joke and hide his suffering. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your mom.

linda may said...

We have this in common, this feeling with and about our parents. This is so well done.

Beth Camp said...

This beautiful poem is writing from the heart. I've always felt that we read poetry for those times when our own words fail us -- and we need healing or courage.

Lorri said...

I am so sorry for your pain, the pain caused by your love for your mother, and seeing her pain multi-fold. I am sorry for your mother, you, and your entire family.

I empathize, and remember well, my own mother and the pain she endured for many years.

Linda's Poems