Sunday, May 7, 2017

Physical Therapy Soliloquy

First it was the sound of a
medevac
in all its exclamation point
of emergency

Then it was me
evaluating my own
peek-a-boo knee

& then
odd things
made my wistful heart sing
city lights
cold, clean concrete
EKG complete
with its buzzing of a test report
on lyrical repeat
white coats and scrubs
clean nails
unpolished nubs
knowledgeable hands
worried mothers
finding the answers of the universe
while twisting strands
that distinct tinkling of a distant gait belt
around someone's shoulders
making a cadence in halls
answering calls

I don't know how long it'll be
but I will return
indeed
there's a visceral yearn

That Lovely Sterile Smell

It's pulling at me
white tiles
clean lines
puffy cotton balls in
their glass jar
creating a puffy, new thought
the old life I left briskly
the sounds
the beeps
the whoosh of machines
coming to life
for every new patient
the humming
the drumming
the soft tap at the door
the heaviness
of that same door
closing

I'm miles away
on my isolated island
of anonymity
but still
it's pulling at me
the old life
begging to be renewed
in some other
different
view

& while a past co-worker greets with
that healthcare worker's open-heartedness
my senses come alive again
ready to strap on that gait belt again
to harness
to release
to reset
to rebalance

funny the things I miss
that lovely
sterile
smell
releasing the harsh grasp of hell
on every new form
stretching and bending
back to their lovely norm


Beyond the Looking Glass

The misty, wispy condensation
traces my name
on a mirror
that is so unclear
while past is crystal clear
tis the future that holds
a grin
or a leer

with a Cheshire grin
with a witchy, little spin
I wipe the condensation clean

wall behind me
deeper into the mirror I dive
looking beyond the
shallow high-five
into the unknown
the glorious
unpredictable
unknown