Diana Darby ** "I V" ** Intravenous

Out


Out of the screams
and trays and blue boxers
filled with poop.
Out of the hallways and wheelchairs
and macadamia nuts
eaten by the handful.
Out of the tears of parents
whose wretched children have disappointed them for the last time.
Out of the “Get well” cards and “Mother’s Day” wishes
tacked up on walls and strung across windows.
Out of the hallways,
and blinking light switches,
and nurses on skates.
No longer must I listen to the same questions.
The eternal tears of Christianity
and Baptisms escaped.
The circular mind
trapped in the same day
after day.
No more bland meals
cooked in margarine,
fried,
meat
on a plate,
vegetables
desperate to escape.
The cries of helpless all around
where no one comes to help.
Out of the depressed and the forsaken.
A Hampton Inn of Hell
tended by Ethiopians and Russians.
Out of the fake smiles by those in charge
and the knife stabs of attendants
when backs are turned.
Out of the wilted flowers
by nightstands
and raised toilet seats.
Out of the
irrepressible itch of spinals
and the deep plunged trail of staples.
Out of basketball playoffs
and nights arguing over brushing teeth
and changing pajamas.
Showers taken in protest.
Words exchanged without meaning.
Out of the blue.