She Knew Me

Dear Women For One Community,

The poem below was submitted by Tabitha Colie on behalf of her mother, Nancy Sliwa, who wrote this poem about her lovely sister, Janet Price.  Janet was an amazing woman and humanitarian, and she died far too young from an aggressive brain tumor.  Nancy was her caregiver in the last months of her life, and she writes an annual poem to commemorate her. The family misses Janet, as do all that knew her.

SHE KNEW ME

She knew me then. The bratty one,
The clinger-on, the tattletale,
The copycat and wanna-be,
The desperately naive.
She saw me through.

She knew me then. The single mom,
The divorcee, the working poor,
The disavowed and lonely,
The desperately needy.
She saw me through.

She knew me then. The space cadet,
The diver, sailor, up and comer,
Engaged, engaging,
The desperately carefree.
She saw me through.

She knew me then. Remarried one,
The comfortable, the dabbler,
The traveler and poet,
The desperately complacent.
She saw me through.

She knew me then. The care giver,
The bedpan changer, the spoon feeder,
The POA and wheelchair pusher,
The desperately grieved.
Who couldn’t see her through.

I wish she could know me now.

Nancy Sliwa, September 2012