Trading Places is inspired by my Grandmother who is a carer for her mother.
My grandmother is a Jamaican-born retired Senior Carer. She discovered her own 90-year-old mother had been diagnosed with Bowel cancer and Dementia. This urged her to fly to Jamaica and bring her mother back with her to England, where the mother previously lived. The strength and resilience my grandmother has shown these past 2 years have been admirable considering her own health struggles. I decided to write from the perspective of my grandmother so the reader could grasp the deep contrasting emotions this responsibility comes with. To all the carers I wanted to say, ‘we appreciate you’.
Trading Places
A mother’s love can move mountains
So powerful yet peaceful
A mother’s duty is forever
So heavy yet fruitful
But that thing came and took it away
The warmth and sense of home
Slipped away right before my eyes
My name? My birthday? Our memories?
Erased, forgotten, misplaced
Now it is my responsibility
Now it is on me
The cycle of life has placed this burden on me
This thing, this regression
She was a housekeeper, chef, therapist,
Nurse, teacher, secretary, activity coordinator
But now it is my turn
Now it is on me
I am drained emotionally and physically
I wouldn’t have it any other way
A love so pure, I have to endure
Appreciate your mother and her embraces
It may be a possibility that one day
You could trade places