Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Hearing the cry...NaPoWriMo #29

I wrote this one tonight and thought, “Is this really how I feel about being a Mom of a special needs child?” I don’t like the battle metaphor as I’ve come down on that side of what I don’t like to hear in the autism world as it sends a mixed message to our children about who they are if we have to “battle” against autism.
My son all night was looking up facts about the American Civil War and telling me things. I think that seeped into my subconscious and this came out more about how I feel about all the details I have to keep track of and try to make sense of. This is more the war I battle as I’m not as on top of things as I wish I was. Hence, the poem.

Mama's Special Battle

The thrum of the space heater by my side
Constant, cozy orange glow
Working the warmth into my mind
A sleepy contingent of cavalry
Galloping over hill and dale
To the trumpeter’s tune
Of a long forgotten war
Looming on the horizon
Of dawn’s dreary rise
To a tune forlorn
In the distance
A call to arms
Of an unknown enemy
That I resent taking
What I have left
Turning it out
To meet cold day
And restless nights
The battle drum beats
A quick march
Pushing me on
To type, research, and remember
All that has gone before
And all that might go on
The battle in the foreground
I hear it going on
I stay behind
Away from enemy lines
Reading my screen
Of new techniques and therapies
I study the map
Before heading out the door
to another appointment
Listening to another general
Scream orders to the troops
I retreat
Shutting off my heat
To snuggle into my bed
Raising my sword in victory
In my dreams

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