In Andrea’s Closet, stuffed animals live,
a child picks one out, love and comfort they give.

A little girl, just eight years old, begins
the battle for recovering her health, again.
Endless hours of radiation and chemotherapy,
an attempt to suppress Lymphoblastic Leukemia,
needles, procedures, sickness and pain,
hospital beds, and sad balloons on streamers.

‘Andrea was the little girl
who lost her curls,
but never lost her heart.
She could no more play,
and she’s gone today,
reality’s so dam harsh.’

From Andrea’s Closet, a bunny jumps forth,
a child picks it up, and cuddles own worth.

A tiny tot screams with flaming pain,
his body burned, his spirit wanes,
searing agony and dressings changed,
promoting growth of charred off skin masses,
IV drips, drugs and bottomless chasms,
infection sets in and lowers his chances.

‘Tiny lad, beatifically designed,
now wears skin of twisted rind.
Unbeautiful child still screams in his mind,
and searches for his face he’ll never find.’

In Andrea’s Closet, happy meowing erupts,
a child reaches her hands, carefully lifts kitten up.

A girl diagnosed with soft tissue cancer twice,
surgery and chemo stopped it for a while,
under her eye, her vision obscured,
constant reminder of her bane in her mirror,
she bravely continues as her hopes decline,
she’s inwardly scared she’ll never reach nine.

‘She’s tired of hospitals,
of surgery and chemo,
tired of an eye
that only shows sorrow,
tired of being scared
she won’t see tomorrow.’

Out of Andrea’s Closet, a spaceship zooms,
a child reaches high, and flies to the moon.

A boy, born with lungs cloggy and wet,
Cystic Fibrosis drowns kids in their beds,
his every move focused on his body’s war,
medications and treatments he’s come to abhor,
he wants to be normal; he wants to be free,
“Why does God allow this suffering to be?”

‘He aches to run and play,
not be in bed all day. To climb a tree,
or skin a knee, to run and play
in a normal way. To be set free
from fluid debris, to run and play,
he can’t, today.’

In Andrea’s Closet, rainbow dreams still live,
waiting for the need of hope and comfort they give.

Erin Moen
9/16/03
Copyright 2003 ©

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Andrea's Closet provides toys to children undergoing scary and painful medical treatments and procedures.

http://www.giveatoy.org/