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Erythra Thalassa Brain Disrupted
Overview
A searing portrayal of a mother’s anguish over the sudden hemorrhagic stroke of her son—devoted father of two young girls—rendering him a quadriplegic in the prime of his life. An intimate glimpse of a world shattered by stroke, in which each poem not only illuminates, but reimagines life with hope and acceptance.
Introduction
Any stroke is a tragedy. Strokes, sudden bolts of lightning, can strike seemingly well people of all ages. The results can range from mild for the lucky ones, to the devastating, like the massive brain bleed that changed our son’s life forever. And not just his, but all his loved ones.
Courage in the face of such an event is easy to recommend, but mustering it is a heroic feat that takes every shred of psychic, emotional and physical power—every single minute, every single day. One must possess not only optimism that the future will be better, but a faith in science, God, or both. One must consciously decide to be a survivor. In the darkest days, when my son’s life teetered in the balance for weeks, then months, I was a roiling cauldron of emotions; writing helped. Somehow, pouring out my heart made the burden more manageable. I kept writing through my son’s ordeal. Eventually, the collection of poems found its own arc. I hope it tells a story of a mother’s emotional struggle, the son’s courage and his small physical achievements. To a healthy person “graduating” from nothing by mouth to a few tiny ice chips is nothing, but in an epic fight to live, such tokens of progress feel like towering feats.
If this little volume eases the stress—even a tiny bit—of watching a loved one on the brink, than the sea of tears will not have been entirely in vain.
“Everyone can master grief, but he that has it.”
William Shakespeare
A searing portrayal of a mother’s anguish over the sudden hemorrhagic stroke of her son—devoted father of two young girls—rendering him a quadriplegic in the prime of his life. An intimate glimpse of a world shattered by stroke, in which each poem not only illuminates, but reimagines life with hope and acceptance.
Introduction
Any stroke is a tragedy. Strokes, sudden bolts of lightning, can strike seemingly well people of all ages. The results can range from mild for the lucky ones, to the devastating, like the massive brain bleed that changed our son’s life forever. And not just his, but all his loved ones.
Courage in the face of such an event is easy to recommend, but mustering it is a heroic feat that takes every shred of psychic, emotional and physical power—every single minute, every single day. One must possess not only optimism that the future will be better, but a faith in science, God, or both. One must consciously decide to be a survivor. In the darkest days, when my son’s life teetered in the balance for weeks, then months, I was a roiling cauldron of emotions; writing helped. Somehow, pouring out my heart made the burden more manageable. I kept writing through my son’s ordeal. Eventually, the collection of poems found its own arc. I hope it tells a story of a mother’s emotional struggle, the son’s courage and his small physical achievements. To a healthy person “graduating” from nothing by mouth to a few tiny ice chips is nothing, but in an epic fight to live, such tokens of progress feel like towering feats.
If this little volume eases the stress—even a tiny bit—of watching a loved one on the brink, than the sea of tears will not have been entirely in vain.
“Everyone can master grief, but he that has it.”
William Shakespeare
- GenresPoetry
90 pages, Paperback
Published November 12, 2020
874 people want to read
About the author
Annette Libeskind Berkovits
5 books48 followersAnnette Libeskind Berkovits was born in Kyrgyzstan and grew up in postwar Poland and the fledgling state of Israel before coming to America at age sixteen.
Despite being uprooted from country to country, Berkovits has channeled her passions into language study and writing. She has published two memoirs, short stories, selected poems, and now The Corset Maker, a historical novel. Erythra Thalassa: Brain Disrupted is her first poetry chapbook.
Her stories and poems have appeared in Silk Road Review: a Literary Crossroads; Persimmon Tree; American Gothic: a New Chamber Opera; Blood & Thunder: Musings on the Art of Medicine; and The Healing Muse.
Her first memoir, In the Unlikeliest of Places, a story of her remarkable father’s survival, was published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press in September 2014 and reissued in paperback in 2016. Her second memoir, Confessions of an Accidental Zoo Curator, was published in April 2017.
In her three-decade career with the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, she spearheaded the institution’s nationwide and worldwide science education programs. Her achievements include the first-ever agreement to bring environmental education to China’s schools. The National Science Foundation has recognized her outstanding leadership in the field.
Despite being uprooted from country to country, Berkovits has channeled her passions into language study and writing. She has published two memoirs, short stories, selected poems, and now The Corset Maker, a historical novel. Erythra Thalassa: Brain Disrupted is her first poetry chapbook.
Her stories and poems have appeared in Silk Road Review: a Literary Crossroads; Persimmon Tree; American Gothic: a New Chamber Opera; Blood & Thunder: Musings on the Art of Medicine; and The Healing Muse.
Her first memoir, In the Unlikeliest of Places, a story of her remarkable father’s survival, was published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press in September 2014 and reissued in paperback in 2016. Her second memoir, Confessions of an Accidental Zoo Curator, was published in April 2017.
In her three-decade career with the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, she spearheaded the institution’s nationwide and worldwide science education programs. Her achievements include the first-ever agreement to bring environmental education to China’s schools. The National Science Foundation has recognized her outstanding leadership in the field.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 13, 2020
Both a powerful testament to the complexity of grief and a bold act of love, these poems trace one woman's journey after tragedy strikes. Whether you are a caregiver, a parent, a child, or simply someone who is thinking about what it means to be human in a time where our collective health landscape is changing each day, this is a book worth reading.
November 10, 2020
A wonderful, must-read book for lovers of poetry and for anyone who has experienced the duality of grief/hope that follows a medical emergency. These poems are accessible and raw in their honesty, etched from the sorrow of a bereft mother who felt helpless when her 46-year old son, a devoted father of two, suffered a devastating hemorrhagic stroke on an otherwise ordinary day. With her poems, she immerses the reader in the Red Sea—her Red Sea—a pulsing, emotional voyage from the very first uncomprehending ride to the emergency room, through ICU’s, tests, procedures and pain, recounting hopes raised, then dashed, then restored. Throughout the collection, readers will be heartened by the promise of survival, the faith in science, the mystery of the human body and, most of all, the courage that remains after tragedy.
November 22, 2020
Any parent, and anyone experiencing grief or loss, will relate to these lovely, poignant poems. What I found most profound was the message that hope and meaning can be found in the unlikeliest of places if we open our hearts.
November 21, 2020
A book written from the heart. Make you grateful for all the the little things we take for granted, especially in 2020.
November 13, 2020
Don't be fooled by the slim size of this poetry chapbook – each page packs a powerful emotional journey. The poet writes with enviable restraint and control, and her words are deeply evocative. There's a welcoming simplicity to the writing style (nothing feels contrived) and yet, you'll still feel compelled to read each poem more than once. Upon reading and re-reading each poem in this collection, the layers of meaning they carry slowly unfold. A remarkable and unique collection –a memoir in verse that will keep you glued to the page.
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November 2, 2020Now available for preorders on Amazon. Release date: November 12, 2020
https://www.amazon.com/Erythra-Thalas...
https://www.amazon.com/Erythra-Thalas...
November 25, 2020
A heartbreaking collection of prose poems telling a story from a mother's point of view; she witnesses her splendid son diminish, struck by ruptured vessels that spilled his blood, a brain hemorage. She observes his condition and the response of aides, doctors, family and begs the Lord for mercy, caught between pleading and anger. The story is told in a straightforward, touching manner by Annette Berkovits; a chronical of pain.
November 12, 2020
The unstoppable force and pulsing heart of these finely wrought poems flows to an inescapable conclusion - that the seemingly prosaic sings its own song of beauty and, sadly, that beauty is recognized only when the song is silenced. Each poem in this collection is a glistening teardrop demonstrating that we miss so much of life when we fail to embrace the little things, “morning coffee, strong, in the tall mug,” the sweetness of a rain shower, “that scratch, that turn, that wipe, that movement that lets you know you are ‘normal.’”
November 12, 2020
In the aftermath of the devastation caused by the flood of blood that rushed through the gray matter of the poet’s son, the Greek words Erythra Thalassa (meaning The Red Sea) become the ideal metaphor to carry the reader through this penetrating collection to the essence of what truly matters. A must read for anyone who has grappled with life and love in the wake of tragedy.Erythra Thalassa Brain Disrupted
December 18, 2020
A moving, beautiful collection of poetry that explores the author's journey as she navigates a family crisis. The poems are powerful descriptions of her changing emotions; she expresses feelings that all of us can understand; fear, anxiety, dread, guilt, lack of faith, joy in little improvements and lovely moments.
March 12, 2021
Absolutely from the heart: a harrowing cycle of poems on the brain haemorrhage which disabled the writer’s son. It's full of emotion as she expresses her own irrational feelings of guilt and her yearning for the years when he had been young and healthy and a source of pride; as she explores her prayers and hopes for goals which become progressively smaller, until a quiet murmur of affection or a purposeful glance is a triumph; luck is relative and not absolute. This heartfelt anthology will resonate deeply with anyone who has faced a sudden catastrophic illness in a loved one.
June 27, 2021
Annette Libeskind Berkovits' latest work takes us on an intimate journey through her grief - very powerful - revealing, heartbreaking, hopeful, and healing. All of her writings to date provide the reader a window to her soul - true gifts that transport us into each chapter of her life and make us feel like we're family. Can't wait for the next one!
December 19, 2020
I am really impressed with the Erythra Thalassa. It is powerful and tender and very moving.
August 7, 2021
Brilliant collection that will give you a greater understanding of grief and tragedy. Fantastic!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews