Page 10 - YSCC poetry booklet 2021

Cytomegalovirus:

My Eternal Companions

After much pain and exhaustion
After the screams from exertion
She held my teeny tiny body in her hands
The joy on her face drained when she saw
The bright whites of my eyes were actually yellow

I saw the worry on her quivering lip
As the doctors pricked me with needles and attached me to a drip
They told mommy she was infected with something I couldn’t pronounce
Sounded like a friend to me
One that came unannounced

Turns out I have the same friends too
They’re playing in the shadows of my veins
Doc says they came through mommy’s body
Through her uterus, he explains
I hear mommy crying, saying mean things about my friends
But all I care about is how they’re all going to play inside my tiny head

Suddenly my entire 16 inch body
Started shaking uncontrollably
I was so scared my friends would be frightened
With each rumble my fear and anxiety heightened

Finally my body slowed down and so did my heart
I feared this was the end of my premature start
I could hear the sound of the flat line overpowered by the song of angels
I closed my daffodil-eyes and gently whispered
See you in heaven my eternal companions

poetry booklet V5 25 02 2020.indd 10 2021/03/09 09:33:14