Photo credit: Five Buck Photos/iStock
Rain in November deepens depression,
worsens all joint pain. On a scale of one
to ten it’s an eight. The waiting room
is full of dripping umbrellas.
I walk to the front desk. The waiting
woman sees me. Even my stethoscope
disguise, my averted gaze won’t deter her.
She asks for minutes of my time. (more…)
Copyright: kvkirillov/123rf Stock Photo
The Heart Doctor
A massive MI, myocardial infarction, happens on a plane from London
to LA. The woman doesn’t know her distress is a symptom of her heart.
The pastor says, lift up your hearts, and we say, lift them to God.
Everyone else was amazed, but Mary pondered these things in her heart. (more…)
Photo by Samuel Ramos on Unsplash
Sometimes I ask my patient, can you smell it?
Of course, she can’t. Necrosis happens slowly,
a little more each day. There’s time to adjust.
My birthday was weeks ago. The flowers are dead.
A clear square vase sits on the kitchen table,
its decay, vegetable. I am no stranger to the foul. (more…)
I’m Still Your Doctor
I happen to be there when you’re admitted.
My job is to keep you alive at any cost.
Lucky for you that I have experience
& I’m really good at diagnosing
the opportunistic diseases of AIDS.
So when you have the bad luck
to have a rare pneumonia
& a virus attacking your eyes, (more…)
copyright Robert Wilson
The gods line up
to kiss my left breast.
Divine dimples appear
as I raise my left arm.
A star appears
on my windshield too
when a wayward stone
strikes on the expressway, (more…)
Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash
What’s my basic unit of currency?
It’s not dollars.
Each patient makes a withdrawal.
What’s the exchange rate?
It’s not Medicare payments.
Each prayer makes a deposit. (more…)
Copyright: 3quarks
Star Light, Star Bright
My sister says I go on and on about Miss Ingram,
says I must be in love with her, but I’m not. I just
like the way her dark hair hangs long, straight
down her back, the way she smells like lavender
when she comes to our desks to check our spelling.
If it wasn’t for her, I would never have known (more…)
Copyright: verastuchelova
Story for My Sister
The moon sits on the left shoulder
of Cristo Redentor. At least,
that’s the way it seems to you
from your gutter in Rio.
You lay down here
to cool off in the fire
hydrant spray, one of the best
hangover remedies. This time,
the white marble Redeemer lends
his healing to the water. You loop
your red scarf around the lamp post,
pull yourself up, happy ever after. (more…)
Richard Diebenkorn, Ocean Park 117
Full sunlight can blind.
I prefer the subdued
brightness of Diebenkorn’s
Ocean Park 117.
The yellow on the bottom
is a ground and a base. (more…)
Photo by Jens Mahnke
Instructions for How to Start Over
i.
It’s not necessary
to destroy everything.
Everyone thinks that fire
is cleansing, but fragments
of bone are left behind;
ashes cling to your face
with static electricity. Still,
they don’t disguise you.
New life begins from excrement,
the remains of what you consumed. (more…)