An Anthology of Poetry and Medicine
[Untitled]
i sit in the quiet that is not quiet
praying
my lips slowly moving through blessed verse
that soothes
reassures
numbs
while the life-sustaining equipment
sucks and sighs
counts
measures
i’m stiff from sitting bedside
but i dare not move
stray
or release
the hand i’m holding and periodically twitches
fingers that occasionally squeeze
i watch closed eyelids flicker in medicated sleep
lips moving silently
and i glance at the jagged rhythm dancing on a monitor
lines of life
i touch the wetted triangular pink sponge on a plastic stick
to the lips i long to kiss
a drop runs down the chin
a tear runs down my cheek
i try not to move
at risk of becoming entwined
entangled in the tubes
lines and leads
that sustain life
i come to know them
i can name them
my eyes trace them over and over
from source to endpoint
endpoint
endpoint