Friday 31 October 2014

Day Twenty-One


1. All Soul's Eve Candles


Today, I am three weeks, twenty-one days into this blog, twenty-one days so far waiting for transplant. In that time, sixty-three people have died in the UK waiting for their gift of life because there are not enough of us on that precious donor register. I know many people think that there is no point because our loved ones will be asked about organ donation if a time came about that it became relevant. But that’s not the case. It is a time of great shock and grief and people don’t always know how to respond to the question if loved ones haven’t made it clear or expressed their wish to donate. If they know you want to give the gift of life it is so much easier on them to pass your wishes on. If you are not on the organ donor register, please sign here now. It takes three minutes and costs you nothing.

This week has been an incredible week and a week we have been reminded just how precious each moment on earth is and how quickly life can change. It is kind of fitting that this week ends with All Soul’s or All Hallow’s Eve, a night our ancestors believed that loved ones passed where closest to us. Tonight, I light a candle for Daniel, William’s ‘A’ and all our wonderful donors and for Ubaid, other friends we made and lost along our existing transplant journey and for all those others whose transplant call doesn’t come in time to save them.

2. A bit of a Halloween doodle...


One of those retro photos went round Facebook today of a suede (or turnip) jack-o-lantern like the ones we used to make when we were children and there were few pumpkins in UK. I remember when they first started appearing and were very expensive so we had to make do with our suedes, which were almost impossible to carve and smelled horrible whilst doing so, and when the candle started singing the top. Non the less, the photo got me thinking of Halloweens long past before home made costumes and toffee apples were replaced by complete and ready made fancy dress and Haribos. This really is a doodle and something I probably won't come back to looking at again until next year....

A black bin bag witch
and an old bed sheet ghost
went walking one night
Turnip faces swinging in their hands
winking as their life giving night lights
flickered and twinkled


A black bin bag witch
and an old bed sheet ghost
went walking one night
Toffee covered apples, chocolates and candies
sticky on faces
rattling in loot bags


A black bin bag witch
and an old bed sheet ghost
went walking one night
daring and scaring with tales ever spookier
A twig cracks,
the witch squeals, losing the game


3. Kaleidoscope 



(a reworking of a draft poem I shared earlier)


Myriads of glass beads
frozen in fractals
crimson by green
Indigo with amber
An ordered spectacle
stunning in perfection

But the wind blew time
and the colours burst

Splintered hopes
clashing and spinning with
possibilities
futures
goals
destinations

Jostling for position

in the next alignment




If you are not on the organ donor register, please do click here for more information and to sign up.



If you are enjoying this blog, please help me to keep going and help crowdfund my Three A Day: Waiting project  and get some lovely postcards and an anthology, limited for only those who support and invest in the project.

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