Archive for August, 2012
To my sister, who is fighting for her life
~ My sister lost her fight on August 28, 2012
Sitting at your bedside, sterile and cold
Your blue eyes, beneath lids heavy, hide struggles untold.
Your chest’s slow rise and fall dependent on a machine’s rhythmic sound
Keeping your body with us, though your spirit, by sadness, is bound.
Can you feel me, hear me, your name I’m calling
Willing you back from wherever you’re falling.
I speak for you, to you, while you cannot
Recalling memories of old, two sisters scheme and plot.
Skipping school, dodging every rule, our secrets to keep
Times good and bad, I recite as I weep.
With your every twitch, reflex, and squeeze of my hand
Hope finds me, that you’ll fight your way from this unthinkable quicksand.
But hope is intangible, elusive, a state of mind
Vanishing as obstacles mount to keep you confined.
Gazing at your face, wondering where you are
Do you know what is happening, aware from consciousness afar.
A single tear streams down your cheek
Breaking our hearts, rendering hope bleak.
Are you struggling, hopeful, trying to fight
Or ready to give up, a silent desperate scream that we might.
Your body so tired from fighting this hell
Too tired to continue, I wonder, too sick, too frail.
Soul searching, I do, for me, for you, for reflection
Others turn to God for understanding, for direction.
Whatever the age, for comfort, the human spirit will strive
For an all powerful parental shield from life’s cruel battle to survive.
Past words, harsh actions, I regret
More patience, understanding, if one more chance, we get.
Your pain, your struggles, I would all take away
Sadness no more, only your joy, my hope, one day.
But above all, peace, I desire for you
A safe place for your heart, healing, love anew.
Whatever your thoughts, wherever you may be
I pledge you undying love; eternal sisters, are we.
~Chick Hughes