“What will happen to my poetry?”
Those were some of the last words Laura Corso spoke to her mother, Anita Lunde, before she passed away on May 27, 2019. Poetry was the light of the 41-year-old’s life. She didn’t want her words to be forgotten. So, that day, Anita made her a promise.
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Laura first discovered her passion for poetry as a teenager newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Writing poems became a way to rise above her struggles and fight her inner demons. It was also a source of joy.
“That’s the ultimate high for me, unlike anything I have ever experienced,” she said. “It just brings me to amazing heights that I can’t compare to anything else.”
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Poetry became even more of a lifeline to Laura when, at 30, she was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. After 10 years of living with the neurodegenerative disease, Laura could only move her left arm. Her body was failing. But, Anita says, “She never let that stop her passion for writing poetry.”
Even from her bed in a nursing facility in San Antonio, Texas, Laura wrote with the help of a voice recognition program. Turning her suffering into verse was freeing, and she dreamed of touching others with her words:
“I am disabled / Not unabled / To sing you a tune / A rhyme / Beneath the / Invisible moon.”
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Laura’s proudest moment came when the San Antonio Express-News published her poem “Words” along with an article about her life. Read an excerpt below:
A traipse or a
Steady gait with words
They came to be
And gave us life
Our lives in hearkened images
They are the breath
What makes us who we are
Evolved from love
Words.
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Laura died before she got the chance to see any of her other poems published. But Anita kept her promise to make Laura’s dream come true.
In October 2019, Anita published “Poems of My Life,” a collection of poetry reflecting Laura’s battle with MS.
She was such an inspiration to many. Despite her disability, she loved life and family. Her faith kept her strong to her last breath. I miss and love her so much.
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But that wasn’t the only way she decided to honor her. Because of Laura’s great love of animals, Anita has directed that all profits from the sale of this book are being donated to PetsMart Charities!
What a beautiful way for Anita to honor and keep her daughter’s legacy alive. Rest in peace, Laura.
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