untitled
How big of a relapse
does it take?
How big of a slip
of your foot off the break
before they ring up
your next of kin?
Can you imagine what it takes
to understand news
that is told in a language
you can’t comprehend?
A strange man
fills their ears with
so much jargon.
All they catch of his phrase is, “…your father.”
Leave them digging through
the newly deceased’s
yard sale medical textbook
to translate a coroner’s
loose tongued terminology.
No cranial nerve impulses.
No pupillary response.
No oculocephalic reflex.
No spontaneous respirations.
You’d hold that book
like a Bible.
You’d search those pages
for a miracle
or a prayer.
You’d know they’ve told you something important
but you can’t quite
make the words out.
They said something.
They said it too fast.
Please…
slow down,
slow down,
slow down.
4 thoughts on "untitled"
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The medical terminology here is a fantastic elevation of the piece. I actually wanted to see more of it!
Very very moving piece in the flow!
So true about medical terms for lay people especially when it involves a loved one!
You have told a haunting story here in a very effective way.
I agree with the others, and also like how the “you” tense puts the reader into the poem