I Would Sit With My Sister
in a sterile room
as nurses mixed
her chemo cocktail.
Treatment had assaulted her
with side effects.
Silently, I would pray—please.
Oh how we talked our way
through those hours
while dreaming
this magical potion would prevail,
my eyes fixed
on the silvery drip, drip, drip—
hypnotized
by the rhythm without music.
Lois Perch Villemaire of Annapolis, MD is the author of My Eight Greats (2023) and Eyes at the Edge of the Woods (Bottlecap Press 2024). Her poetry has appeared in Spillwords Press, TheRavensPerch, Third Street Review, and elsewhere. Her flash memoir has been included in anthologies including “I Am My Father’s Daughter.” She is a contributing writer to AARP The Ethel. Lois, a Pushcart nominee researches genealogy, volunteers at the library, and propagates African violets.
