CIRCA SOLEM
A year ago
It was the worst day of my life.
A year ago I sat anxiously beside a hospital bed
Early enough that I was the only other person in the room.
A year ago, clenching my fists so hard
That my fingernails left little half-moon slices in my palms.
A year ago I stared lost for words at the face
Lying restlessly under the blanket I had made with my hands,
The first stitch cast not half a year before
When I realised that I would be sitting there.
A year ago I stared into a face both unrecognisable and so familiar
As we both tried to find the words
To say what needed to be said;
To say what we should have said all along.
A year ago I had a defender
Who for years stood between me and the world.
A year ago,
There was always an answer.
Sometimes a teacher,
Sometimes an advisor,
Sometimes an adversary,
Sometimes a friend.
Until a year ago.
A year ago I changed forever.
© mjc 27 October 2016
