Six months ago
you were fighting to play pickle ball
laughing on the small court
stretching your racket to hit the ball
stumbling and crashing onto the court,
filling your head with
flashing white fireworks,
exploding star bursts.
Now
you are fighting for two more weeks
laughing with guests in the small room,
stretching your life to see your children
stumbling and crashing against time
filling your belly with fluid,
flashing white pain
imploding your life
.
.
.
For Auntie Linda
Shawn L. Bird 
I can see it.
P.S. I love the title of your book, “Grace Awakening”.
What do you know of grace? Why do some have more, some less? Is it, as the Russians say, “undeserved gifts”? Why encourage people to grow when there is no guarantee the Great Kahuna will grant this person or that person audience?
In the case of my novel, it’s multi-layered, as the character Grace is involved with the Three Graces. There’s also this: https://shawnbird.com/2010/11/09/gratia-gratim-parit/
Powerful, and hits close to home. Lost my mom 3.5 years ago to cancer. Horrible crazy disease. Wishing you and your aunt the strength you need to get to the next level.
Thanks Maria. Blessings on you.
Thank you….this was very touching yet hard to read. It felt odd to press the like button for such sorrow.
Thank you.
Godspeed Shawn
I felt the breath knocked out of me reading this. May your aunt, you and all your family be held gently in hands of light.
Thank you Marilyn. May you and yours.
Beautiful tribute, Shawn. It’s amazing how quickly life can fade.
MG
Astonishingly so.
Thank you, Shawn, for the reminder that life is so precious, so fleeting, how things can change so quickly. Death is something that happens to everyone else, not me, not my family. And then when it hits, it hits hard. I appreciate reminders like your poem; they help me to appreciate what it is I have by acknowledging the finite nature of it all.
Thanks for coming by.
This seemed very familiar to me, my grandfather died from cirrhosis of the liver about six years ago and he was in so much pain, nothing helped at all, not even the massive amounts of morphine he was being given.
Poor man. 😦 How horrible for him, and for those watching it.
It was awful.
Painful to read, but I found it beautiful in its simple outline. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for reading, Erin.
Hi Shawn,
thought i would drop you a line;
davesmith202551.wordpress.com
chris
?
I too hate the like button; it’s a powerfully sad piece. One can feel the pain,struggle and sorrow.
I’m glad you appreciated it, if ‘like’ is an awkward term.
This was hard to read, it must have been harder to write, anyway a huge heartfelt thank you for this. My mother-in-law died from cancer last November after a 22 year fight. My mum died from a heart attack almost 30 years ago. I miss them both so much and not a day goes by when I don’t think of them both, so full of life they never gave up. Thank you for every poem, Shawn, I really wish I could write as beautifully as you.
My sympathies to you, Dave. Thank you for your kind thoughts.
That hit home for me… my mom lasted 8 months before cancer took her. Spend every moment you can with those you love.
My condolences on your loss.
Big impact on Father’s day. Sorry for your loss. I lost my wife of 19 years almost the same way-six months after diagnosis.
My condolences on your loss. Blessings on you.
Thanks for the support.
Thanks for your comment. Glad of the time we had with her before she left.