Driving Jamie
I always wanted to be a blonde
Jamie says adjusting her wig
Long gone the raven
Locks she treasured
Patches drifting to porcelain sinks
Dribbled to clothes and comb
Body now weak as a winter sun
Scabs and scars highlight her whiteness
Each visit she endures the drugs
And the platitudes Stay strong Keep the faith
The doctors unwilling to say
What it really is a last chance
Have your passport on you?
Her smile lights up the dark day
I nod at the pretended trip plans
Not trusting my voice
We have covered the globe
From the front seat of my car
I’d love one of those fruit drinks
With the tiny umbrella she sighs
I reach over and lightly squeeze her hand
Let’s go tomorrow I say
21 thoughts on "Driving Jamie"
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Excuse me while I sit here and weep. Gorgeous and completely real and heartfelt.
pure empathy conveyed in this dramatic monologue, the couplets suggesting the fragmentation (“dribbled”)
Powerfully written. You’re able to portray so much here
Sylvia this is beautiful and heart-wrenching. I felt like I was in the car and this
Body now weak as a winter sun
is golden.
This is so tender and so beautifully written.
Sylvia, how incredibly beautiful. So much tenderness here. So much loss and grief and love. Thank you for taking a completely impossible situation and making something that so many can relate to and hold.
So beautiful & sad. Bravo.
You show the sadness (instead of telling us) and it’s more powerful for that…I love especially the sound of
“Long gone the raven
Locks she treasured”
heartbreaking and wonderful.
Thank you all for the comments! When I volunteered to drive cancer patients to their treatments, I never realized how much they would teach me!
Powerful witness written so well.
I love the tenderness of this, and the reality
So tender and haunting.
Wow. Strong, sad but inspiring as well.
“Have your passport on you?” – so many places she could go.
That passport — such a rich image. Thanks for sharing this one.
Powerful. Brought back memories of my mother’s battle with cancer
Each visit she endures the drugs / and the platitudes
Thank you for this poem, which shows such empathy.
So much love and dignity throughout the poem.
Thank you so much for your comments!
Powerful, painful, honest.