A Day of Hats (edits)

[Laura Stone]

A Day of Hats

She rang today, excited
to tell me of the new hats;
her new haircut;
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear,
Fuzzy Wuzzy has no hair.

She pulled her long locks
into little ponytails
all over her head;
one by one snipped
each off, seven inches
at a time, until nothing
was left but the nubs
of rubber bands.

Her voice was raspy;
tired, a tired I’d never
heard before. She told
me about the little pill
she had to swallow;
she put it in her oatmeal,
then in a chocolate chip
cookie; said I’d be proud
of her that she got it down.

She had her head
shaved today;
I wish I could paint
butterflies on top it,
a Monarch perhaps,
or a Swallowtail;
anything, as long as
their colors could be
beautiful like her.

She couldn’t remember
the things she was saying;
I told her to send pictures
of her wearing all her new hats.
She told me she loved me;
I told her back.

[Sherry Thrasher]

and now I am. Godspeed for her recovery.

Sherry

[Tina (Firefly)]

Very touching and well written, Laura. I have two friends who are going through similar journeys and it breaks my heart. Your inclusion of "Fuzzy Wuzzy" is particularly moving and a surprise which truly invites the reader into all that follows. Prayers are sent forth.. Tina

[johnnysaturn]

I found this deeply poignant and also finely written; the fourth verse really hits home.However, from a technical perspective, and distancing myself from the deeply heartfelt nature of the piece, the very last three lines did strike me as somewhat anti-climactic and flat.

[David Nelson Bradsher]

Very well delivered, Laura, with the bombast of emotion that so often accompanies personal pieces. It makes the poignancy more real. You got me.

David

[Laura Stone]

Thank you all. I seem to be writing about this quite a bit. Perhaps it's my way of detaching some of my own emotion about it. Thank you for the prayers; she is a light to us all; to her husband and 8 year old daughter. Revised a bit, and thanks to John for the suggestion about the ending. Lopped off what was already obvious. Perhaps this goes a bit better now.