Synkroniciti is thrilled to welcome writer and poet Claire Poole from Houston, Texas, with a moving memoir piece entitled “The Blue Cane.” Claire talks about her recovery from stroke and how the blue cane she tried out in rehab was a symbol of that recovery.
“After my husband adjusts the cane for my height, I ease myself off the hospital bed and stand up with it in my left hand. My grip is so tight, my knuckles turn white. Two prominent purple veins protrude from my hand, forming the shape of a “y.” That’s the question I keep wanting to ask my doctors, but I have difficulty forming words in my mouth.”
As she heals, the cane goes from a help to a hindrance discarded and banished, finally becoming a reminder of her journey and achievement. Claire allows it to change significance, which is important if we want to retain our sense of self as we age. We can’t live in the past, neither are we able to fully live without it. Her musings about confidence and toughness are grounded in physical imagery and sensation, subtly showing us that the way to build those things is to be present in the moment. This is an extremely useful strategy and works far better than society or authority figures telling us to “buck up,” as Claire’s mother used to say. The vulnerability of this essay keeps the wisdom fresh and free from dogma and makes it a valuable and inspiring read.
Read “The Blue Cane” in Synkroniciti’s “Recovery” issue, available for purchase here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Claire Poole is a writer in Houston. She spent 40 years as a journalist before retiring in 2024 to focus on her personal writing. In 2023 she won the Writers’ League of Texas Manuscript Contest in the historical fiction category with her novella, Piano Girl. Her poetry has been published by Pulse, The Write Launch, The Bayou Review and Equinox and another poem is forthcoming by Amaranth Journal. She is currently working on a memoir about her recovery from stroke.