SAYING GOODBYE


 

No one to call me ‘babe’ anymore.

No more struggling to stop your constant self-pity

While watching the minutes slowly go by.

How I suffered being around you for 70 years

 

No more watching you favor my brothers 

While looking at me with disdain

Making me feel ugly and unlovable.

You never cared for me. 

 

‘Babe’ wasn’t a term of affection

But something you threw my way 

Not meaning one minute of kindness. 

At least you’re no longer trapped in your hate.

 

How were the past two years

Living in a facility hours away 

From your precious sons

Who perfectly duped you?

 

No more “poor, poor me.” 

And I will not follow in your footsteps

Down your battered, broken, and bitter road.

I’m forever free from your coldness toward me.

 

Tomorrow, you’ll be buried high on a hill,

Next to my abusive father,

A man you detested for almost 80 years.

Yet, you never stopped the beatings or offered consolation.

 

If only you had realized your hate came from within…

 

Always looking to find a target.



(picture taken at my 70th birthday party)



 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

REIKI AND ME

Image
Reiki was developed in Japan in 1922 by Dr. Usui as an alternative form of medicine to reduce stress and promote healing through light touch, which transfers energy from the practitioner to the individual. Although I had heard of Reiki in the past, I had never experienced it personally. When I managed a rehabilitation hospital for those with recent strokes, amputations, head injuries, etc., I was contacted by a group of people who practiced Healing Touch, a similar treatment method. I agreed to let them use my hospital to train practitioners. We were cautious in introducing this to patients, as they were required to consent. Most patients were open to Healing Touch and reported feeling better and more relaxed after the sessions. I consider myself open-minded and wanted to give Reiki a try. A close friend has a daughter named Heather Elizabeth, who has her own Reiki practice. Heather Elizabeth is a licensed master's level social worker but found traditional psychotherapy me...
Read more

CHANGE THE SUBJECT

Image
After living over three months in an apartment complex for people over 62 and listening to group conversations periodically, I'm at a loss about handling future encounters when health issues are the primary topic.   If you're around people my age for longer than a few minutes, the conversation invariably centers on various ailments, operations, and conditions. It's true; old folks talk a LOT about their illnesses!   I've had quite a few health and physical issues over the past five years, none of which will kill me, but they are annoying as heck. I long for distractions from those topics. I don't want to hear that someone living here has had four hip replacements when I'm facing the possibility of a hip revision soon or to be told while I'm waiting to go to the nearest ER with symptoms of diverticulitis that someone's relative had part of their colon removed due to the very same condition. Hearing about ailments of people I barely know is depressing and ...
Read more

MY LIFE WITH TERI FLANAGAN

Image
  (Teri authored a story about me entitled "My Life with Dana Rushing" in the local newspaper after I moved from Horseshoe Bay to Austin. It was a total surprise and touched me beyond words. She is now in hospice at a facility in Marble Falls. Teri's husband has given me permission to publish this story. It will be in The Beacon this week.) I’m incredibly fortunate to have a friend I could call to assist me with the various projects I began or coordinated while living in Horseshoe Bay for five years. Other friends also answered my call to action, but Teri was always the first one I contacted because I was confident she would agree to help. Teri once said when she saw my name on her caller ID, she knew I wasn’t calling to chat and that she was being recruited for another project. Still, Teri answered my call. Teri is a talented artist and an avid reader. Her beautiful painting of a colorful donkey hangs in my home. A burnt orange wooden walking stick David made helps k...
Read more