Monday, April 02, 2012
Two Visits (Prompt: Visitor)
Sometimes the visitor
is welcome.
When my beloved
little 96 year-old
grandmother from Mexico
was lying in the hospital bed
for a month,
dying from mostly old age,
each day took a little bit more
of my father’s heart,
as he made
the 80 mile round trip
dutifully,
until she finally
stopped fighting
and let the visitor in
that Saturday morning.
By that time,
the visitor was welcome.
Two days later
after Pop mowed the lawn,
complained of a sore shoulder
(which my mother rubbed
with Icy Hot),
and ate a microwave
corn dog,
he laid on the floor,
and as he watched
the 4 o’clock news,
the visitor quietly came again
and took him too.
Two visits
in sixty hours.
This time the visitor
wasn’t welcome.
(Inspired by Becky Sain’s “This isn’t everything you are.”)
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Wow! This is beautiful and poignant!
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'm glad something good came of this.
DeleteThis so beautiful and so sad. You somewhat reminded me of 'The Book Thief', by Marcus Zusak, which is narrated by death himself.
ReplyDeleteDo you believe death is the end of the soul?
Kisses. :)
Thanks for the compliment. No, I do not believe that death is the end of the soul, only the end of the body's life sentence. I think souls are eternal, and ultimately one with God. (That is the Universalist in me speaking.)
DeleteMuch love - el Mosk
Thank you Buddah.
ReplyDeleteI love the thought of this... "the visitor" -- so many things can be said here, nicely done my friend.
No, thank you! Was planning to go a whole other way with this, the read your piece, and it wrote itself! Enjoy Spring Break, you lucky duck.
DeleteOhhh. Heartbreaking and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks, de!
ReplyDeleteYes, gorgeous, and heartrending. XOXO
ReplyDeleteoh heck...i'm glad your grandma was prepared for that visitor..and so sorry to hear about your dad..sometimes we just don't understand why things happen..
ReplyDeleteso heartbreaking...in every sense of that word. I'm so sorry.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's one thing we never do know do we? When it's our time to go. That would have come as such a shock to have happened so quickly after losing your grandmother to then lose your dad, what a shock.
ReplyDeleteThis is written so well, you could say it was beautiful writing but, it wouldn't be right, but, it is gentle and loving.
Hmm.
ReplyDeleteMy thought is, visitors go away.
Death does not.
What it leaves behind, however,
does.
<3
This piece plucked my heart strings...thank you for it my father had a visitor way too young...
ReplyDeleteWander
Like you, I believe that there is spiritual life even after physical death. Because of that, there are days when I think, you know what, I'm tired, I wanna go home. But if it were more than an idea, if breath were suddenly hard to get, I would panic. I'd be like, no, I have so much stuff I'm not done with yet!
ReplyDeleteMosk, this is a strong write. Yes, sometimes the visitor is welcome; sometimes not. So sad that your father died so very soon after his mother. But I bet their reunion was glorious! (My belief anyway)
ReplyDeleteLife and death, the yin and the yang. I think this is one of my favorites of yours because, not only is it very personal, it talks intimately about death. So many people shy away from writing and talking about it. This reminds me of a poem I wrote a long time ago about the death of my dear Granny. I was there when she died and it's an experience I'll never forget. I think I'll look for that poem. (It was in the days before computers - imagine that!)
ReplyDelete