Caretakers
You can recognize them once you know how to look.
Their shoulders dragging intangible weight.
They are pale and doughy
Living off of pre-made meals and energy shots.
They have dark lines under their eyes
And smiles underlaid with sadness.
They mulishly take blows
Sharp words that cut too true
Abuse that only family can give.
They can whip their way through hideously complex paperwork
Without blinking.
They can make decisions
Hard decisions
Pop a Rolaid and move forward.
They are bound, bound
Earthbound
Emotionally bound
Bound by duty
Bound for destruction
Sick with dread
Awaiting the day of freedom
Which carries with it
Their greatest grief.
Fresh Hell 
This is so very true. It can be a never ending grief until – the end. And then, it is a release, a relief intermingled with the sadness.
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Yeah. It’s amazing to me how many people have to go through this.
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It has happened many times with various extended family members just in our little tribe. And is current with my husband’s mother.
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I’m sorry about your mother in law. I hope your husband is doing okay.
Modern medicine really is a double edged sword I think. You can’t prevent anything, but you can painfully delay it… now choose.
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He’s doing Ok – modern medicine leaves a lot to be desired, not the least of which is its refusal/reluctance to utilise other healing modalities
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All cuttingly true. Well told.
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Thank you!
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Staggeringly accurate message. Each precise word really hits home.
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❤ I feel sad for everyone who gets this one…
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Relief that their loved one no longer has to suffer — mixed with their greatest sorrow of never getting the opportunity to see their loved one’s face again, hear their words, see their smile, hold their hand. Oh, oh, oh…you’ve struck a nerve, Sarah. As difficult as it is to do, it is also a blessing — I’d be glad to take on more weight on my shoulders to hold my mother’s hand again and to talk to her and have her talk back to me and give me one more hug! However, I’m glad she no longer suffers.
Mona
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❤ 😦 ❤ This kind of thing is never simple, is it?
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I interpreted this completely wrong! I thought it was about obese people who were good at paperwork and computers. 😀 I keep laughing about how wrong that is!!! I’m so bad at poetry.
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Bahaha! That’s amazing! Sounds like some people we might know… ahahahaha!
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Why does it make me so happy when you misinterpret poetry so badly? I think… because the things you come up, although the premise might be absurd, a pretty solid argument can usually be made for them. Like, I can’t argue with your interpretation based on the words alone. hahaha
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