Extraordinary Sunshine Weaver

It’s been a couple of years since my left knee replacement. A healer once told me that I needed to properly grieve the loss of my old joint and introduce the new joint to its partner. Apparently, when I had my right hip replacement, my left hip was confused, so to relieve some of my suffering, I had to make sure the old hip had a proper introduction. Hey, it helped! Fast forward to my left knee replacement. I started to think about the lifelong friendship between my two knees. Upon learning Tina Turner passed away the day I had the knee replacement, my imagination took over.

An Ode to My Knees, Whom I Named Tina and Cher, on May 24, 2023

Cher’s reaction to Tina Turner’s death, “…she gave me lots of strength sometimes, 
and I gave her lots of strength, too. I think we were perfect friends for each other, truthfully.”

A well-aligned pair. 
Talented and loved. 
Both danced. Traveled.
Inspired others on Walks and Talks.
Their stamina shone. 
But physical prowess has an expiration date.
It swells with unresolved trauma. 
Stabbing fears of falling off stages.
Fighting a blight that gorged on the glory days. 
Shame, Shame, shame on those who laugh 
at the limp of a well-lived life.

Today Cher and I lost Tina to a total knee replacement. 
Cher rallied during Tina’s decline from osteoarthritis.
Both were strong for the new reality. 
Good leg up and weak leg down. 
Both knees cried stinging tears. 
Both sported matching ace bandages. 
Dragging on, exhausted as though holding up an anvil. 
Prescribed workouts supported them. 
Still, Tina crumbled to dust in a surgeon's hands. 
Replaced by a sleek unnamed goddess.

Cher, we both grieve for Tina. 
We three, once a team. 
Now a new partner completes our triad. 
We welcome a new angle. A pyramid again. 
A magical symmetry restores us. With her 
we can stand, drive, hike the river trails, bike for miles—
heck - we can even leap to the top shelf 
with a single bound.

© Barbara Leonhard

I borrowed the feature image from this article about Cher and Tina.
https://www.smoothradio.com/artists/tina-turner/cher-friendship-timeline-duet/

If you like similar fun-loving poems, check out my book with Nolcha Fox, Too Much Fun To Be Legal. In the poem that follows, my verses are italicized. Nolcha’s are not.

Hey! Since Nolcha and I collaborated on this book, we are like Tina and Cher! 🤣🤣🤣

Cousin Trouble

Cousin Rona, 
the unwelcomed relative
who just shows up
with her bags.
She has a way 
of getting under your skin.
You offer the couch,
but she takes your room.
Wants room service
and heating pads, 
coffee, not tea. 
Chocolate, which she immediately
spits out on your new comforter.
Chicken soup, homemade.
It’s like you’re boiling 
the skin and bones
off your own body.

My cousin’s name is Worry.
She brings a van full of her stuff
for just a weekend stay.
She says I have to toss my chairs,
my bed, and put hers in their place,
as mine is too uncomfortable
for her to oversee my fears
and take control of life.
She burns my calendar
that holds my chores and 
plans for where to be.
She says she’ll plan my life for me
as long as she’s around.
She jumps onto my back
and drills a hole into my skull.
She pours herself into my brain
to make my life a living hell.

I hear that Rona and Worry
went into a bar.
Ordered Whiskeys on Cries.
Shit popcorn like spit wads
at customers.
Chased Margarita into the restroom.
Just wanted to be BFF’s.
They were bounced out
like footballs.

Rona and Worry
found tickets to Cabo.
So skunk-drunk
they didn’t see 
those tickets were
no-return no-refund
one way.

Poor Rona and Worry.

© Nolcha Fox and Barbara Leonhard