Gift From My Mother?
Rent from DeepDyve- Gift From My Mother?
this sleep apnea does not belong to me nor does the short term memory loss, day-long fatigue, or the bouts of narcolepsy that ride along in the same car
I want to live a life full of moments that take my breath away but not the ones in my sleep cutting off oxygen to my brain
up to ten times an hour setting the stage for an enlarged heart and eventually cranial temper tantrums disguised as grand mal seizures
mama went undiagnosed for years we laughed at her prodigious snoring, her preference for third shift and assumed her thirty years of sleeping alone had no negative consequences
until she didn’t wake up at all, leaving us mired in grief and confused
this sleep apnea does not belong to me I am not yet ready to die [End Page 15]
Frank X Walker coined the term, “Affrilachian” to refer to Appalachian African-Americans and founded Pluck! The Journal of Affrilachian Arts and Culture. He is the author of five poetry collections and serves the University of Kentucky as an Associate Professor in the Department of English and the Director of the African American and African Studies Program.
