April Poetry: Dancing Against the Dark

Poem #5 for National Poetry Month

This poem was written before I received my first heart transplant on January 6, 2006, which means this was probably first drafted in late 2004, after my multiple codes and near-death experiences. I had time to digest my diagnosis and chose to go to battle rather than surrender.

I decided I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for the next bad thing. Instead, I pushed to be listed for a heart transplant.

This was originally published in Blue Villa Magazine.

Photo by Hudson Hintze on Unsplash

Dancing Against the Dark

By Dawn Levitt

When they first came to me,
Giving me little time to live,
I did not, could not, comprehend.
How does a young woman go
From health to life support?
I plummeted through shock,
Confusion and horror,
But not acceptance.

Now, granted a reprieve,
I will not surrender.
I will not wait alone for
The other shoe to drop.
Instead, I choose to dance alone 
In that single shoe,
Whirling like a dervish
To scare away its mate.


Originally published Blue Villa Magazine December 2023