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