Other Genes
Granny was a story teller. Her stories mesmerized me. A few years ago, Dad gave me one of her notebooks, where she wrote about her adventures. Were her genes responsible for the writer in me?
poetry
Wobbly Woman
And now you’ll need those wobbly super powers
Of stubborn guts and mental inner strength
To see you through the long, slow learning process.
Discovering what lost ground can be regained,
Using those special powers to weave the cloth anew.
I am so proud of you, my much-loved daughter.
Survival
“Life’s funny”. “Compared to what?”
The problem is we just don’t know.
What ‘selfish gene’ caused your angiomas
(Or mine, for that matter)?
Can medical miracles protect the kids?
Setting Out
We relied too much on ‘big brother’ to take charge, forgetting how small he was.
But he really didn’t seem to mind: “cummon Deb”, he said,
And off the two of you went, up the ladder of life.
Survival
I reread the poem for the umpteenth time, and like the first time, shortly after my second brain surgery, I teared up. Mum came to be with me in Phoenix during the surgeries. Dad had to stay at home, across the ocean. Throughout my hospitalization, he expressed his fears, anguish, and love through poetry. He … Read more
