—Original Artwork by Sam the Snake Man
For the last seven years or so, my husband, Sam the Snake Man, has suffered from Lewy Body Dementia, a degenerative disease that’s kind of a combination of Alzheimers and Parkinson’s, with a lot of other nastiness thrown in. (Think Robin Williams.) For a while, I was his sole caregiver, but finally, his mother and our local hospice stepped in—plus, we hired some private caregivers, since Sam is now bedridden. So his care is no longer something I have to do alone, and I am very grateful for that. (Sam and I just celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary.)
Nevertheless, it’s time for Medusa to retire, to close down the Kitchen and give the snakes a long rest. The present is very difficult for me, I'm exhausted, and the future will no doubt be even more demanding. Aside from the distraction of Sam’s health, though, I have noticed during the last few months that I’m just not as sharp as I used to be, that I make more mistakes, that my judgment is more flawed. Macular Degeneration is giving my eyes more trouble, too. It just seems like Medusa’s 20 years was enough of a legacy for her, and I’m going to quit while I’m ahead. We cooked up some fine vittles, you and I, and I just don’t want to sour the soup.
So. If you submitted anything after Oct. 30, please consider it—not rejected—withdrawn, and you’re free to submit those pieces somewhere else. There are SO many places out there looking for fine poetry like yours—many, many more than when we started this adventure 20 years ago—and I know you’ll be successful in future submissions. Best of luck to you, and LittleSnake and I thank you for this long, successful 20-year run in which we’ve been cooking fine poetry together in Medusa’s Kitchen!
Nevertheless, it’s time for Medusa to retire, to close down the Kitchen and give the snakes a long rest. The present is very difficult for me, I'm exhausted, and the future will no doubt be even more demanding. Aside from the distraction of Sam’s health, though, I have noticed during the last few months that I’m just not as sharp as I used to be, that I make more mistakes, that my judgment is more flawed. Macular Degeneration is giving my eyes more trouble, too. It just seems like Medusa’s 20 years was enough of a legacy for her, and I’m going to quit while I’m ahead. We cooked up some fine vittles, you and I, and I just don’t want to sour the soup.
So. If you submitted anything after Oct. 30, please consider it—not rejected—withdrawn, and you’re free to submit those pieces somewhere else. There are SO many places out there looking for fine poetry like yours—many, many more than when we started this adventure 20 years ago—and I know you’ll be successful in future submissions. Best of luck to you, and LittleSnake and I thank you for this long, successful 20-year run in which we’ve been cooking fine poetry together in Medusa’s Kitchen!
_____________________
—Medusa
P.S. I'm not taking down any of our posts, so if you've ever appeared here, your work will be in the ether forever. To find previous posts, type the name of the poet (or poem) into the little beige box at the top left-hand side of the main page. See also Medusa’s Rapsheet at the bottom of the blue column on the lower right side to find any date you want.
P.P.S. Here are two links that help explain Lewy Body Dementia:
www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/
conditions-and-diseases/dementia/
dementia-with-lewy-bodies
https://www.apdaparkinson.org/article/understanding-parkinsons-disease-dementia-lewy-bodies/
conditions-and-diseases/dementia/
dementia-with-lewy-bodies
https://www.apdaparkinson.org/article/understanding-parkinsons-disease-dementia-lewy-bodies/
