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Fights in Waiting

1 min readOct 20, 2023

--

the German Shepherd who left and took my childhood

another family siloed by the fault lines of addiction

curled on the floor weeping without thought or reason

​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​​a sun

disowned by my father while on my honeymoon

the careful words of a sonographer as the ultrasound showed no heartbeat

my 8-year-old son saying “if this is Nana’s last night, we need to stay at the hospital as long as we can”

​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​​and a shield

mind and nerves damaged by a fever of 107

the slow death of boredom and regularity

long cuts across my stomach that never heal

​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​​shared wounds

medication and the pull of gravity

bankruptcy and medical leave

a faint lightbulb before the crashing waves

​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​​nothing and everything to live for

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Robert Mann
Robert Mann

Written by Robert Mann

Dad, coffee drinker, lover of words.

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