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Annie Ellison's avatar

Things to do in grief

Think of

the curtain round her bed,

a paper blue cocoon,

a patient nearby levitates,

another, searches for her son,

young priest tries out

some awkward jokes,

a low voice from reception

‘a space will free up soon’

another shift has ended,

a nurse slips out to smoke,

we exit strip light corridors

into a chilly dawn,

wait for a taxi driver

who’s seen it all before.

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Treasa's avatar

Things to do in a hospital waiting room:

Gel hands, inhale it's fumes.

It's been months since my last night out

drinking too strong mojitos.

We've been here before, same room.

A kid plays 'Watermelon' on his mom's phone,

furiously tapping bubble fruit

before they go bubble POP!

A kind doctor says kind things to my preteen,

cracking the code to her real cheeky smile.

"It's going to be alright" and she believes.

I nod so that at least my head believes too.

Chocolate treats & clothes shopping,

we run for the bus cos that lady in Tkmaxx

took her sweet time and mine

choosing the right sized carrier bag.

//

It needs finishing but this is first draft written on the bus.

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Gareth's avatar

I nod so that at least my head believes too… love it

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Jim Hall's avatar

Yeah holy shit, that line. Also the swerve from opening description to the reflective 'it's been months...' was gorgeous, Treasa.

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Gareth's avatar

Great stuff Jim. Here's a quick mess of notes in response...

Typing through the window

Late leaves bud beneath the roar of metal wings

their siblings calling

to the ocean

they feel on wet days

but will never see.

Fingers clamour with Birds

‘I’m here’ / ‘Feed me’ / ‘This is my space’

‘Are you still there?’

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Treasa's avatar

'Fingers clamour with birds,' great line, a sort of eerie longing to it.

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Jim Hall's avatar

A mess of notes - what every first draft should honestly aim for.

The first line is so maybe unintentionally strange and fresh - typing 'through' the window.

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Loretta's avatar

True. Messy is gritty, raw, real, the kind of word deluge that leaves you exhausted but safe in the knowledge that something workable has come unchained from self-censorship :)

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Jim Hall's avatar

Amen (as usual) Loretta. Something Workable: cool name for a workshop on permission-giving, on foraging for brief meaning to then shape and hone and hold up to the light and the dark from different angles.

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