Sandra Adams Poet Free verse

Seedless Memories

As I draw back the needle
that familiar smell of alcohol
takes me back through the years
this cloudy substance
swirls like the emotions of mind

...I remember the smell
of rubbing alcohol as it mingled
amidst the scents of applesauce
cooking atop your stove
while you stood there
trying to steady yourself
on the walker, and wooden legs

the fresh basil and tomatoes
sitting on the counter
amongst the extra apples
I gathered that morning
as they laid scattered
atop the fresh fallen dew

I was so proud
as i sat there
sipping pastina
anxiously awaiting
for a taste
from your wooden spoon

I still prefer my applesauce
warm, unsweetened
just as memory recalls

I never saw you grow old
nor did you ever see me
grow past the age of nine
yet I have always felt you near
more so now
as draw back the needle
and inject it in my leg

I feel it linger
in the slow burn
like memories

I close my eyes
and see you there
needle drawn
beneath the scents
of rubbing alcohol
and applesauce
as it simmers
atop your stove
yet my lips
only taste bitterness
of fallen tears
as they tumble 
through recollection
of past


August 7, 2019
NA Rerun Contest
Sponsored by John Hamilton
Originally Written on August 1, 2019 for Cornucopia Cooking

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Brenda Chiri September 9, 2019 at 12:13 PM Wow! I am speechless! Truly amazing!;) L Brenda Chiri September 9, 2019 at 9:03 PM I feel ya on that I too have to and I get so tired of it!;( Sandra Adams September 9, 2019 at 12:42 PM Thank you my friend I grew up watching people inject insulin all my life now it’s my turn :( hugs

Susan Ashley August 13, 2019 at 7:48 PM Wow! My heart was captivated by the intimate poignancy of your exquisite poem, Sandra. So beautifully tender, bittersweet and so artistically satisfying. I’m sorry for the pain of diabetes experienced by you and your family. I can’t believe this poem would have ever been N/A’d. Congratulations on your well deserved and wonderful win in John’s contest. Warmest wishes always.. ~Susan Sandra Adams August 14, 2019 at 7:31 PM Thank you for your encouraging comment Susan...i put it in the cooking contest...perhaps it was just too off topic, but that's just where cooking took me, perhaps because my diabetes is new....the memories are still vivid though....hugs :)

Andrea Dietrich August 11, 2019 at 12:25 PM oh my goodness, what an amazing poem. So filled with poignancy. I'm very glad to see this with the great win that it deserves! Congratulations, Sandra Sandra Adams August 12, 2019 at 9:59 AM Thanks Andrea :) hugs Sandy

John Hamilton August 10, 2019 at 6:31 PM Sad to read this again but it was rewarded this time around, a worthy winner to me! Sandra Adams August 10, 2019 at 8:22 PM Thank you John this poem meant a lot to me... of all the losses in life I took hers hardest Hugs :)

Caren Krutsinger August 3, 2019 at 5:09 AM You have taken me swiftly back to my granmother's kitchen, and I see what she is doing and I feel sorry about it. My husband does the same thing twice a day. It is a disease that causes misery, for sure. Your take on the contest is so imaginative! Well done, Sandra. Sandra Adams August 10, 2019 at 8:21 PM Thank you Caren... it doesn’t miss anyone or my mother’s side is the family ( even the relatives in Italy are caught in Its web) hugs

Gershon Wolf August 2, 2019 at 4:04 PM Such a unique entry for the contest. Woven together so poignantly. Quite a masterpiece! Best of luck, Gershon Sandra Adams August 2, 2019 at 4:12 PM Thanks Gershon, growing up around fruit trees always reaped nice rewards, i was so upset when her children sold the home, i still prefer all my fruit, farm fresh, sun-warmed, not easy to find most times of year though.... :) hugs

John Hamilton August 1, 2019 at 9:48 PM Wonderful write Sandy, reminiscing about old days, diabetes eh, my dad and sister both have it, I can't watch them inject it hurts me more than them!

Anne-Lise Andresen August 1, 2019 at 11:07 AM -Memories from our childhood help to create a mental picture of important life experiences ... unfortunately, they include good times and bad - We go out into the world with the social skills that our family taught us at home - We should offer our children a wide range of experiences and love that will help them meet life and enjoy it :) - A thoughtful poem, Sandra ... excellent written :) - hugs // Anne-Lise :) Sandra Adams August 1, 2019 at 11:18 AM Thank you Anne-Lise...I only ever remember her being diabetic (never the healthier side of her) and now that I am one as well I see her more in my memory through daily moments in my own life ... hugs :)