Janet Fricke Combs

I think Johns Hopkins twice has saved the day;
First when my youngest son was barely six.
The bullseye rash that’s common—from deer ticks—
Did not show up on him. I learned to pray
In earnest by his bedside, thanking God
And all the specialists at JHU
For sparing me the pain of living through
A loss to Lyme disease. It’s kind of odd
How Hopkins surfaced, saving me again
With my employment and admission to
The MA program: writing helped me through
The chaos of my life in twenty-ten.
I’m grateful to this university
For things far more profound than a degree.