SLAM Poem
Living in dread, dying in peace

That day I was on top of the world
Until my mom broke the news,
That dreadful day,
My mom, sister, and I were going to Great-Grandmas

The hopeless drive on a cold, rainy and foggy winter
Not wanting to leave home, afraid
My sister 3 years old, about to cry
I knew she would cry on our way home as well
A younger me not knowing why my family loves a horrible person
Just why?

We arrived at the home and took the creaky elevator
I opened the door and went in last
My Great Grandma had a frown on her face like usual
Mom gave my Grandma a box of chocolates
The disappointment on her face as it was handed to her
She wanted to yell but she wasn’t able to because of her laryngitis
She said “Why didn’t your daughter give me the chocolates” in a frail voice
She went to speak again and I wanted to curl up in a ball
The words she said were “You terrible mother!”
I left the room with my sister and shortly after my mom came out too

I hadn’t seen my mom so upset before
We were all upset
It stung but it felt like the normal when we went to her house
My Great Grandma did not apologize until she was on her deathbed

I later learned that her husband died at 57
And she was a nice person before that

We went to her in the hospital
It was the first time I saw her happy
She was at peace and said she finally got to see her husband again
I hope she did
Her last word was love

I understand why she was the she was
Sometimes you don’t know what people are going through
On sunny days or rainy
Don’t judge a book by its cover