Delmarva Review: Connection by Sally Dunn

Authors note: “The events in this poem happened to me in the way it is written. Whether this is a commentary on how the homeless and the handicapped are treated is up to the reader’s interpretation. To me it is simply the life I’ve lived for many decades. The emotional frustration and disappointment of not seeing my family was offset by the quiet joy of connecting with my grandniece.”

Connection

Because it was raining and windy too
I covered myself with an orange poncho
and my wheelchair with billowing
clear plastic bags.

And because the driver
thought me a homeless person
(or so I was told later when I called)
the bus passed me by.

And because that bus passed me by
I couldn’t catch the connecting bus
nor the bus that connected after that
and my big trip ended before it began.

And because I missed my only chance
to see my family in over a year
I spoke to them all on the phone
in a series as they passed me around.

And because I hadn’t seen her in so very long
my oldest grandniece used her polite
‘talking with a stranger’ voice
until I asked if her new school
had a ski team and if she was on it.
Then she knew me.

And it was Christmas.

♦

Sally Dunn’s poetry has appeared in Schuylkill Valley Journal, North Dakota Quarterly, Plainsongs and Straylight Literary Arts Magazine among others.  Her poetry placed third in the Joe Gouveia Outermost Poetry Contest.  She lives on Cape Cod. 

“Connection” is from the 16th annual Delmarva Review, a national literary journal with roots in the Delmarva Peninsula. Editors cull through thousands of submissions to select the most compelling new poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. About half are from the Chesapeake and Delmarva region. It is available in paperback and digital editions from online booksellers and regional specialty bookstores. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, support comes from tax-deductible contributions and a grant from Talbot Arts with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council. Website: www.DelmarvaReview.org