The Old Lady At Age 106: Her Bite, That Unforgettable Bite Sometimes I Recall In My Dreams At Night Poem by Frank Yue

- by the third daughter-in-law: A true story

Her bite, that unforgettable bite,
Sometimes I recall in my dreams at night.

Back in Hong Kong last year in December,
Mom probably does not remember:
Why she needed a change of urine bag.
When at the scheduled nurse visit was set
The nurse alone could not do it all,
Helping hands had to be called.

Since only females could take part,
I had to volunteer in order to start,
By holding down her limbs firm and tight,
So that she would not put up a fight.
Wearing urine bag is a hassle,
Changing it weekly can be very painful;
It's intrusive to lower torso,
Needs to relax and let go.
How could such an elderly know
Even when she was being told?

I thought I could help by holding Mom's arms tight;
Then shockingly came her bite with might!
But I didn't let go like a lost kite.
Her mouth just landed on my sleeve;
Luckily I was not hurt a bit.
Failing this, she started to spit -
The spittal was all on my face and hair!
Job finally done and I did my share.

Will I see Mom for one more year?
That's just my hope, I fear.
We have now looked and explored
But there's no way we can go at all.
Until then the only way is to pray
That we can see her again one day.
We hope that by mid-2021,
This pandemic is all done!