[the Writing of Kuypers]
last night my sister called me
she was feeling better
and my sister and I laughed
###
when I heard the news
I thought for a minute
and then I flashed back
well, when I heard
so I knew I had to call everyone
even though I was only giving them grieving news
so I called to people
he told me of how he brought grandma home
and she did
and he described it as like her last rally
###
when I heard last night
the champagne is chilling, but
we had no idea
so I’ve got this bottle of champagne
they are my favorite fruit, you know
but I’ve got this bottle of champagne
and I don’t know what to celebrate anymore
U.S. Government Copyright © 2004
[JanetKuypers.com][Bio][Poems][Prose]
Final Rally
08/31/06
after we all heard
about how mom couldn’t stand up
and it looked like she was going to die very soon
well, last night my sister called me
and told me she just talked to dad
and heard that mom was feeling better
that she uses the walker
to get her medication at night
she’s still able to use the washroom
and she even had champagne with blackberries
she even asked for wine coolers
I said, “She shouldn’t be drinking alcohol”
and she said, “I don’t care if the blackberries
are covered in alcohol, it’s food”
and we were thrilled she was eating something again
and we thought she’d be able to hold on
for a little longer now
about my mother’s passing,
what, an hour and five minutes ago
and it was my job
to tell my brothers and sisters
and wondered if I should tell them
at the beginning of their work day
because the news will destroy their day
and there’s nothing they can do
while they’re at work
to when my grandmother died
you see, I was in school
and was due home on Saturday
and my family decided not to tell me
that my grandmother was sick
because there was nothing I could do
that they held off on telling me
I told them I could have come home sooner
I could have seen her
before she died
I wouldn’t want them to feel
the way they made me feel
they needed to know,
they just did
talked to my brother
from the hospital
and she sounded great
she was acting happy
and he thought,
this has to be all of her energy
and that she was going to die soon
her last chance to be happy,
to live
that mom was drinking champagne with blackberries
I told my husband
that we should buy some blackberries
and celebrate mom feeling better
we never got the blackberries last night
mom would be celebrating
with blackberries in her champagne
in her final rally
in my refrigerator
and no blackberries
in my refrigerator
and no blackberries 
Copyright © 2006 Janet Kuypers.
Chicago Poet Janet Kuypers
on all art and all writings on this site completed
before 6/6/04. All rights reserved. No material
may be reprinted without express permission.
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