By Madison Primm
Welcome.
Walk in and make yourself at home-
however, you define that term now.
The meeting will begin shortly.
Help yourself
to the refreshments on the table in the back.
They have grief,
arranged in a perfect circle
atop an outdated, yet timeless doily,
iced in a runny, white glaze.
Adjacently,
crystal-like plastic cups-half empty-
filled with confusion
and ice that never seems to melt.
Go on, enjoy.
There’s plenty for everyone.
Taking a small bite-
it’s the toughest, driest,
most bitter food you’ve ever had.
But as you work though it,
the aftertaste turns tolerable.
You sip with hesitation-
the most painful swallow.
Tracing its path
from throat to chest,
chilling the body
to a corpse.
Eventually,
it leaves behind
comfortable numb.
How are others
enjoying the experience?
Looking around,
you see them-
The other members of this club.
newer, older,
and everyone in between.
The fresh members
have tired bodies
and sad eyes
that constantly scan the room
for reassurance.
The veteran members
wear crooked smiles
as they try to comfort the others.
They stand a little taller,
and wear fewer dark circles
under their eyes.
Still,
you search
for what you all have in common-
left, right,
and straight ahead.
There.
There it is.
Our common ground:
we are all broken and lost,
each of us missing
the exact same piece-
a piece that shows
who we came from.
We need no matching shirts
or buttons.
We are easily identifiable,
if you take the time
to look close enough.
We are members
of the club
No one asked to join.
We are members
of the club
no one wants to be a part of.
Poet’s Note:
In May of 2023 I lost my father, James Primm, to appendiceal cancer and I learned to process my grief through writing down my thoughts and feelings. Although this event is uniquely difficult to endure, many children/young adults experience the loss of a parent. This poem is inspired by those people that unfortunately share this experience and learn to find solace in each other. Losing my father changed the person I was into the person I am, a person with immense compassion and empathy who was inspired to share these characteristics by becoming a nurse.
Madison Primm is 27 years old and grew up in North Little Rock, Arkansas. She received a Biology degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and has worked in healthcare her whole life from being a patient care tech at a long-term childcare facility to her current position as a clinical care assistant at UAMS. She loves this field, especially nursing, because she gets to witness the impact she can have on a person’s life. When she is not at work or studying, she can be found running with the UAMS Run Club, playing with her sweet puppy, or singing too loud in her car!
Madison is grateful to UAMS and the opportunities, professional relationships, and friendships it has brought into her life. She has loved her time at UAMS and hopes to continue a career here in the future.