hey larry

 

 

 

my cousin Larry, got so, he could no longer hold a cup.

then his feet gave out. then the small steps of his

disposition passed into thin cracks.

after the fourth month of ALS, his tongue

tied down to the roof of his mouth and

the two banks forming an acute right angle,

that once could tear up the dance floor,

washed away like the hard shine-luster

of stoneware.

what once was the sweetest devotion

became the velvet of the new layer.

not dead,

not sleep,

not unconsious,

not comatose,

no pout,

not plotting the embargo

or sorting out truths.

just sitting, with his blood

and silver bed pan,

and the occational relative

holding his solute hand.

his wife,

strained by the nowness,

held tightly to his every twitch,

as a sign of Gods healing power.

funny, his doctor gave somnolent

to help him sleep.

but I wondered would he

have large or small

dreams. dreams that last

thru the night or quick,

stomate dreams that

end with his lips

slightly open.

or perhaps, encyclopedic dreams only

to spell;

to name the letters of

his loves

in order

and not the spectacle

of this earths

enchantment.

Reviews

[Tara]

I am incredibly impressed with this one. Excellent writing...emotional, moving, original .

[Larry Dyson]

Highly expressive..albeit ..so very much as it would be ..inside the MIND..of Larry.

[Emily B]

if i had missed this, my world would definitely have grown smaller

your words instill wonder, i could hold them close and know all i need to know of this world, and i suspect a little of the next

[Alessander]

wow, very emotive. this begins with great details and imagery, sets up the scene and the specter, which makes me truly feel lucky I have the health I so take for granted. In that, I thank you.

However, the ending makes this piece superior to the usual sentimentality of portraying the ill - it really delves into something metaphysical, a sort of nether-realm only imagination can enter and convey. "stomate dreams" and the rest really leave me with a sense of pathos...