Saying Goodbye to My Grandmother
This was the moment when my mom received a call from my uncle saying that my grandmother was sick.
For a moment, she stopped breathing.
Her hands gripped her apron,
her body sank into the couch.
My mother’s tired eyes stared directly at mine,
and with a small gesture of her hands,
she pointed her index finger upstairs.
I remained hidden at the top of the stairs,
awaiting for the sounds of laughter,
The addition of small, sly comments about me and my sister,
and the complaints about the little things
that were going wrong in our household,
but the house was silent.
Small mumbles and quiet sobs
walked up to where I was.
I stared out the window as shades
of orange and yellow engulfed the sky.
The window reflected an image of my mother,
her eyes, painted in anguish and pain,
I finally understood death’s approach.
Sitting still at the top of the stairs,
I learned how to say goodbye
from a distance.
Process
Initially, I avoided writing about the loss of my grandmother as I felt that I couldn’t describe with words how I felt at that moment. However, working with Robin [my mentor] helped me find the right words to illustrate my feelings and the scene at that moment. Through feedback and multiple rewrites, I was able to create a piece that I was truly proud of.
Julia Choi
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Julia Choi
Julia Choi is a high school student who enjoys writing poetry. She is part of her school’s golf team and enjoys listening to music.
