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Monday, July 23, 2012

Real Toads: Open Link Monday

Dirty Tricks


when we were young
we thought we’d never be thirty
when we were thirty
we never thought we’d be old
now all of us are old
some of us are sick
some are widowed
—and one of us is blind

the rest of us are horrified
we never considered blindness
what it must be like never to see
your husband as he holds your hand
the cats who rub against your leg
the books stacked by your bed to read
the sewing projects left unmade
the unfinished quilts, the unfinished dreams

she never smoked
she lives on a farm
eating farm-fresh food
she planned
and planted
nurtured
to nourish
her family and friends

life plays dirty tricks sometimes

Kay L. Davies, July, 2012
   
Sketches from dreamstime.com 

  
Posted for
OPEN LINK MONDAY
at the online writers' group, Imaginary Garden with Real Toads
  
The name of this group comes from a poem by Marianne Moore, an amazing, award-winning poet we would all wish to emulate.
the result is not poetry...
till the poets among us...
can present, for inspection, 'imaginary gardens with real toads in them'

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

How sad.

And yes, it does.

Kay L. Davies said...

@ flipside records — Thanks. It's been difficult for many people. No one has adjusted to her new reality, except perhaps her wonderful, loving, caring husband of many years.
K

Fran said...

Kay you could have written this about my mum. She misses reading and doing her crosswords so much, although the RNIB have been marvellous xxx

Maude Lynn said...

It does, indeed. Excellent write.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Kay, a voracious reader's worst nightmare. My grandma and my mom both lost most of their sight in their later years and could no longer read. For me, even harder would be not seeing nature's beauty. How sad for your friend, but how wonderful that she has such a loving husband.

Kerry O'Connor said...

Oh yes, some things one knows are waiting, but those unexpected things, like blindness, seem unnecessarily cruel. I never appreciated my sight until I realized that my vision was becoming increasingly impaired, and I dread the thought of going blind.

Unknown said...

Losing an eyesight will terrified ordeal. I hope that we continue to get blessed so we see of these beautiful things around us.

Enjoy the rest if the week.

Susan said...

I love that first stanza because that's just the way it is for me too. And then the second makes me horrified too with a little hesitancy, because I know she can work with that, and feel those dear things, but when you get to the third I get it: There really is no preparation, no being good so we don't get that lump of coal. That is the real horror. Wow.

Daydreamer said...

I often have thought that I would so much rather be deaf than blind, although I'd prefer neither, really. How sad for her to have so much left, like books left to read and sewing projects unfinished. Thank goodness for her loving husband and the RNIB too.

Lynette Killam said...

A touching and worrisome post, Kay! I can't entertain the possibility that I might no longer see the faces I love, or read all I've been saving for the fabled "later". A needed reminder that all we have is this moment in time, and must celebrate every single second with joy!

A beautifully written piece...:)

Francisca said...

Oh Kay, yes I know that horrible feeling of seeing someone I care for suffer and there not being any way to help! Tragic. For your friend, for her family, for you and her other friends.

Now you too, take good care. My thoughts are with you.

[I am in Toronto, indeed. Had to come suddenly when my brother-in-law's declining health took a fast turn for the worse. We tried to get here to see him, but flights were full and we were too late. Haven't been blogging much myself.]

Kay said...

This is so terribly sad, Kay. It's a worry for all of us. My neighbor's son is not even old and he suffered a stroke. I can hear his frustration on not being able to do things he thought he'd be able to do forever.

kaykuala said...

It's a real pity for loss of sight. We can't imagine a colorless world all dark. God forbid!

Hank

Jennifer Wagner said...

The things we never imagine happening when we are young...a touching, true-to-life poem.