High Notes

Origin Story

In the quiet of her home, amidst family shifts, she confided in the weight of her mother's recent struggle — days without liquids, the haunting specter of dehydration, and a journey to the emergency room. “My mom has dementia,” she shared. She said she found solace in sharing jokes with her sister, letting laughter cleanse their burdens, but her gratitude was tender. She reflected on how her resilience was born from moments of shared mirth amid life’s trying chapters. “Don’t forget to laugh,” she urged.

She wanted the poem to serve as a bridge connecting her path to others, a gentle reminder that humor weaves a powerful remedy in pain and fear of change.

D’ete Blackshire, Listener Poet
Community Caregivers
December 2023

By D’ete Blackshire, Listener Poet

My heart finds sanctuary in my hands and flutters a few notes.
Palms rest tenderly above it while I sigh a long note.

Without instructions, a talk with Mom is a heavy lift now.
Things might seem clearer and lighter if we had a book of notes.

My husband and daughter flew across the pond, leaving me alone.
I need a getaway, too; I could leave them a note.

The comfort zone is the in-between, neither here nor there.
There’s an oasis of respite in a holding family, she gratefully notes.

We’re tossing memories of Mom to each other and laughing loudly.
We know - some smiles belong to the future when we miss her notes.

As hard as things can be, we maintain the winding paths to mirth.
And with tear-speckled cheeks, vow to flower the long goodbye with high notes.

More Poems & Stories

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