Full Description
First Place in Creative Works from the American Journal of Nursing's Book of the Year Awards
Second Place in Professional Issues from the American Journal of Nursing's Book of the Year Awards
The poems in An Otherwise Healthy Woman delve into the complexity of modern health care, illness, and healing, offering an alternative narrative to heroics and miracles. Drawing on Amy Haddad's firsthand experiences as a nurse and patient, the poems in this collection teach us to take a moment to stop and acknowledge the longing for compassion in each of us, what ought to be the immediate human response to suffering. The poet isn't afraid to explore her own fears and failures or to find joy and humor in the many roles women play. An Otherwise Healthy Woman presents the intimate experiences of a nurse, the vulnerable perspective of a patient, and the lessons of caring for family.
Contents
Contents
1. In the Clutch of a Rubber Band
Making Camp
Cafeteria-2013
Admissions
Flexion/Extension
The Day after Memorial Day
At Rehab
Home Assessment
Flipping Garlic Toast
From the Motel Window
Whole-Berry Cranberry Sauce
The Promises Women Make to Each Other
My Role as the Wife
The Fit of Suffering
2. What We Did on the Floor
Overture
A Guide to the Physical Exam
Blame Placing
Dehiscence
Gallows Humor
Second-Degree Block
The White Stucco House
Families Like This
The Course of Leukemia
Day's End at the Farmer's Market in Montparnasse
Ten Items or Less
3. Cut along the Lines
Stereotactic Biopsy
Nuclear Bone Scan
An Otherwise Healthy Woman
Infidelity
Chemotherapy Lounge
Post-Op
Cat Scan
Chemotherapy Side Effects
French Weaving for Damages
Before- and After-Breasts
Port-a-Cath
Dark Rides
High-Wire Act
New to the Joint
Ode to a Freckle above My Left Breast
Oarsmen at Chatou
Cut along the Lines
Jug Shots
Bottom of the Cup
The Commercial Version of Metastatic Breast Cancer
Acknowledgments
