Right Brain: cogwheels and crystals

“cogwheels and crystals” is a reflection on how difficult it was to see a Parkinson’s patient in the office as the daughter of a man with the same diagnosis. The immediate challenge was maintaining composure and professionalism, fighting the urge to stay blissfully unaware. The poem explores my feelings as I set out to perform a thorough interview like any other: discomfort with confronting potential future realities, reminders of the ways my father’s disease limited his involvement in my childhood, and guilt for perhaps not caring for him enough as I spend my days caring for others with similar struggles.