Jane
Title
Jane
Creator
Eileen M., of Woolwich, Maine
Date
May 11, 2020
2020-05-11
Subject
COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-
Death
Rights
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Language
English
Text
Jane
In mid-March, her memory-care home was declared off-limits to families, to keep residents safe from COVID-19.
She is a mother with a ravaged memory; we are her son and daughter-in-law.
Time slip-slides, elides. I wonder... when can we hug her again? who will we be to her with more memories gone?
Amid this strangeness, spring birdsong expands our soundscape, wildflowers flourish in the duff. It is easy to forget that as life continues, so does death. It happens like this: a 95-year-old woman has a quiet morning, then lunch. She lies down for a nap from which she doesn’t wake.
In mid-March, her memory-care home was declared off-limits to families, to keep residents safe from COVID-19.
She is a mother with a ravaged memory; we are her son and daughter-in-law.
Time slip-slides, elides. I wonder... when can we hug her again? who will we be to her with more memories gone?
Amid this strangeness, spring birdsong expands our soundscape, wildflowers flourish in the duff. It is easy to forget that as life continues, so does death. It happens like this: a 95-year-old woman has a quiet morning, then lunch. She lies down for a nap from which she doesn’t wake.
Original Format
Personal narratives
Collection
Citation
Eileen M., of Woolwich, Maine, “Jane,” Portland Contemporary Archives: Portland Public Library, accessed April 26, 2024, https://portlandlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/11.