A Grieving Heart

I am broken,
I feel heavy
Yet, I still beat
There’s still a journey ahead to complete

I am often misunderstood for the grief I carry is
Indescribable, Incomparable, Incomprehensible, Immeasurable
even to me,
Yet, I still beat,

There’s a journey ahead to complete
Each heart beat carries your beauty and life within,
The memories, the laughs, the tears,
shorten by circumstances beyond my control,
your story must be told,
for your legacy to live on...

I am broken,
yet I still beat,
my journey I must complete.

From the author: I wrote this piece shortly after my 14 year old daughter, Melanie, passed away after battling retinoblastoma and osteosarcoma.

 Little Brown Bag of Wonders

What does it hold? 
It comes in one size fits all 
Though its content can’t be seen; 
it holds the answer for all to see. 

It takes a trip in daylight 
Up Madison and Fifth 
Resting safely in the little brown bag; 
till it’s delivered to the right participant. 

Signs of relief, wonder, and curiosity welcome you, 
As you are now ready to do the job; 
and end this pandemic once and for all. 

Little brown bag of wonders, 
Tell me what you hold; 
You bring hope, 
to the people of this world. 

From the author: I wrote this piece during the pandemic as I walked back and forth between the CTRC in CAM bldg. and the research pharmacy in Annenberg while working in the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials.

ELO is a registered nurse for the Department of Infectious Diseases, Clinical and Translational Research Center at Sinai. A graduate of NYU Nursing School, Hunter College Alumni, and a current MPH student at the Icahn School of Medicine. ELO is a mother of 3 wonderful children. Inspired by life’s inexplicable turns with its highs and lows, ELO enjoys poetry writing. She also loves nature walks with family and friends, participating in world marathons, and finding meaning in life's little moments.