Writing Workshop – Dreams of Rhiannon

You might have seen the picture above on your travels around Blogland and wondered what it was -  the Writing Workshop is something organised by Josie over at Sleep is for the weak – every week she post’s prompts to help you to write about something that you may not normally choose as a subject.

I’ve cheated a bit this week as I am using a piece that was written by my brother before he died.  As soon as I read the prompt ‘My Life in another Universe’, I knew I was going to use this.

He battled mouth cancer for several years and had three operations to remove it but it just kept coming back.  He had half of his tongue and jaw bone removed which meant he couldn’t speak properly or eat anything solid. It also made people stare at him sometimes which he hated.

He used to post quite a lot on a cancer support website and the piece below was posted on there not long before he died.  It’s called Dreams of Rhiannon, I don’t have a clue why though.

Today I woke up to the sound of snow falling ( I’m a light sleeper! ).  As I got half dressed I strolled into the kitchen and put the kettle on and emptied the cereal into the bowl and threw coffee into the cup! As I wash I stuck my tongue out at myself in jest! Damn I bring new meaning to the word ugly! Who cares I’m happy.

As I watch Sky news while eating my cereal I can hear my dog barking outside, Oops I’ve not let him in again!!! It’s now 7am and time to set off for college,the bus as usual is full of school kids screaming and shouting abuse at each other and no-one has a second glance at me.

As I walk though college into the refectory giving all the young things cursory glances ,stopping off at the shop for a coffee. and a Mars I sit down to read the paper & wait for the rest of my class to join me to catch up on the weekends events.

Today is another presentation day;this where we do a talk on different topics, mine is MS and goes well with Q & A’s at the end of my presentation. It’s now dinner time and as I order Tagliatelle & a baguette, the rest of the class are already sitting down! I’m the only male in my class and face constant innuendo and harrasment, but hey someone has to do it!!

As I devour my pasta no one gives me a second glance and I laugh and joke with every-one!After college I walk into town and grab pies & crips for my tea!( no diet!!) Tonight ny son calls me and tells me about his day at school and asks me what I did and when can he visit me?As I settle down for the night endless phone calls from friends mean I don’t dose off till 1am.

Just as the alarm clock goes off!! I wake up and look at the scars on on my face, look at what’s left of my tongue! I have another day of people staring at me,another day of feeding by P.E.G., another day where people struggle to grasp what I’m saying!! Just another day!! And another dream of what used to be!!

Makes me cry every time I read it to think what he went through.

I did post this last year but I wanted to repost it as part if the Writing Workshop – I hope it’s OK that I cheated a bit this week.