The Whale, Chapter 1

“Getting old is getting old,” she said To herself as she got out of bed. It was the day before her birthday And the day after Halloween, The morning dark and dim and fragrant With stale leaves and the after-odor Of trick-or-treaters and candy wrappers. Helga Caruthers slid her tired old feet Out from under a tangle of bedsheet And onto the cold hardwood floor Of her bedroom. “Gotten old,” she said Out loud to the silence of the house. “Or is it ‘Got Old’?” she said again. “Old as dirt, at any rate,” she said. Helga was rounding out her eighty-fourth year Under heaven and feeling increasingly unclear About what she should do with her life Three years now after the entire family, Son and daughter with spouses and children And children’s children had gathered round The hospice bed and said their goodbyes To Joseph Caruthers, Helga’s man Of sixty years and happy head of the clan. What a moment that had been, The death bed placed in the living room — Such a juxtaposition — and the generations Toasting Joe with his favorite whisky As his soul hesitated, then ambled on. Now Helga, still bleary with sleep, Ambled through that same room, deep In just-awakened thought and semi-dread To face the day and its emerging troubles. She made her way to the front door And opened it to the light of the dawn To check for tricks leftover in the street And the dregs of treats and a barking dog, Clouds on the horizon with a hint of fog Dispersing as the sunrise claimed the morning For beauty despite the neighbors’ Constantly overflowing garbage can And a faint but persistent malodor Carried on the breezes of autumn. The first of November, and strangely warm, Thought Helga as an idea began to form Within the well of hope deep in her mind. She turned back inside to make coffee And have a piece of chocolate, her morning Ritual to read the message on the wrapper: “This is the first day of the rest of your life.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jopomojo.substack.com/subscribe