Things have been pretty hectic around here. I finished my MFA application to the University of Houston (thank God) and am sending it off tomorrow (Jan. 15 deadline). I'm applying to six other schools, but they are all low-residencies (Warren Wilson, Goddard College, and the lot) and not due until March. The poems I included in my manuscript are: "Dark Sky, White Sands New Mexico, 1956," "Alfred Eisenstaedt Holding His VJ Day Negative With Two Hands, 1945," "Communion," "Photograph, April 1956," "Clyde Tombaugh on His Discovery of Pluto," "After the fall of all of this," "Gardenia," "Lung," "Dragonfly on Blue Agave," and "The Hearing Bone."
With the application completed, I feel like I can WRITE again. I haven't written a single poem in six weeks. Has anyone else had that experience when applying for programs? I start my thesis with Claudia Rankine when school resumes this coming week.
My sister is doing better, but it's been quite an up and down situation. She's responding better: we've established a sort-of "blink one for yes, two for no" form of communication, which works sporadically. Last week, however, her attending nurse (named Brandi of all names) wasn't watching her and Sam fell out of the hospital bed. The only thing that saved her from hitting the floor (get this) was that she was hanging by her leg in traction. Yikes. They moved her up to a private room this past weekend, but last night around midnight she began coughing and vomiting blood (quite a bit of it) and she was moved back down to STICU. Her attending physician was the famous
Dr. Red Duke. If you live in Houston, you know who I'm talking about. She's been given tests to determine if there is a tear or a hole in her lungs. She may have a torn vein, but that is not probable.
I've visited Sam three times in the past week and a half. The first time I sat with her for about two hours along while my mom went with my dad to a doctor's appointment. I sang her Christmas carols (because she missed Christmas), her favorite childhood song "You Are My Sunshine" and read her poetry. She wasn't very responsive then (this was about a week ago) and her eyes were blank. At one point, some life came to her eyes and she sqeezed my hand, which caused me to weep in the little bathroom. You can't imagine how difficult this has all been, but I am so grateful to those of you who regularly call or email your wishes. She's getting a little better each day, and we are so happy for that.
I'm going to try and have a laid back weekend: reading, working on new poems (with any luck) and attend my friend Lacy's wedding.
Jeff and I are going to NYC this summer for our 4th anniversary and to meet up with my friend Elizabeth (who I met at Bucknell). Any suggestions on where to stay, where to go, what to do, what to avoid and what's essential/overrated?
