Other Half
I discovered the body to be a dictatorship
when first diagnosed. The realisation of ‘I’ and ‘it’
self-same, that it listens in on my thoughts.
Her role is to remember breathing
whilst I overhear gossip on the bus;
to blink whilst I watch tv,
and warn of a burn from the cooker.
The internet offered the chance to shadow her
a reiteration of fact
when she sleeps, I won’t wake up.
The day the doctor introduced
me to my subconscious
I met a woman who knew everything,
who understood.
Hannah Hodgson is a 21 year old poet living with life limiting illness. She writes about illness, hospice and death to raise awareness of these issues. Her poetry has been published in Under the Radar, Acumen and Poetry Salzburg, amongst others. www.hannahhodgson.com
atriumpoetry.com 