Three down, one already down, chronically down.
Blood clots and vertigo, AFIB and Parkinson's
the Clan is down.
Older brother's screams fade to the steady hum of pumps,
Four days pinned to a bed unable to move his legs, a fake smile
shows up for a photo.
(taken by his wife as she balances on her knee scooter)
Younger brother's foot drags on the ground, a contrast to his relative youth,
his exuberance, running in circles with his teenagers.
My world spins, a half-full garbage can placed at my side
In case.
Older sister was walking
Until she wasn't, her steady and reliable life
dancing to two sets of heartbeats, uncertain which way to go.
Oh! All our plans so perilously stacked, perilously and we did not even know it, how can we forget how
delicately we dance on this Earth, this beautiful Earth.