Author: C. Lawrence
The Wave to Life
She lay silent for twelve days
No movement, so quiet, so still
Despair from her doctor’s words
Brain had electricity, but scrambled
Day by day I stayed by her side
Talking softly, touching, waiting
Doctor held out little hope
I blocked his words and prayed
Music, her granddaughter’s voice
Taped and played close to her ear
Hour by hour, the body monitors droned
No sense of time passing
Finally restless leg movement
Then a flailing of her arms
No open eyes, nor moving lips
Disconnect from brain, no hope
Routine each day precisely the same
Enter ICU and wash at sink
Her bed faces sink thirty feet away
She, propped up to clear lungs
Hope clung to me even still
Did I see movement again?
Was it connected and intentional?
Did I really see her wave?
Yes! As our faces touched and
Slowly she whispered my name
I knew it was her wave back to life.