Monday, December 06, 2021
A dark December
Last week, I asked people to haiku about December. There were three great entries, from three of my very favorite haiku-writers-- the names I love to see in the comments section. But one stands out for the story it tells. I wish more than anything that I had an answer to the question at the end.
Jill Scoggins wrote it. I met Jill when I was a law professor at Baylor and she was doing public relations there (she is now at the University of Louisville, where she is the director of external affairs). She played a big role in my maturing as an advocate-- she was the one who encouraged me to write short-form pieces and agree to media appearances about the things I cared most about. It was a move that expanded my audience from a handful of academics (the people who read law review articles) to, at times, millions of people. Her work really did change my life, and I so glad to have this continuing connection with her.
Here was her haiku, which is true and hard:
December 2021
My stepdaughter has
stage 4 cancer. She was told
she “only has months.”
When did it become
OK for children to die
before their parents?
Who made that a thing?
I wasn’t consulted. It
Isn’t at all fair.
My beautiful, smart,
kind, funny, compassionate
stepdaughter prob’ly
Won’t see the new year.
Who said that was OK? Not
me. Not her father.
We did not get a
vote. We wait and wait, hoping
for a miracle.
I hear Matthew’s verse:
“My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?” WHY?
My stepdaughter has
stage 4 cancer. She was told
she “only has months.”
When did it become
OK for children to die
before their parents?
Who made that a thing?
I wasn’t consulted. It
Isn’t at all fair.
My beautiful, smart,
kind, funny, compassionate
stepdaughter prob’ly
Won’t see the new year.
Who said that was OK? Not
me. Not her father.
We did not get a
vote. We wait and wait, hoping
for a miracle.
I hear Matthew’s verse:
“My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?” WHY?
Comments:
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Mark, your words warm my heart. I had no idea I was that instrumental in helping you communicate to the wider world. Thank you so very much.
And to everybody - you probably can tell, my haiku just came gushing out of me. I never want to be a Debbie Downer but this December is ... well just awful. Thank you for letting me vent it here.
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And to everybody - you probably can tell, my haiku just came gushing out of me. I never want to be a Debbie Downer but this December is ... well just awful. Thank you for letting me vent it here.
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