Sitting vigil

Anita / Nov. 2008

We stroke your hair, hold your hand
Whisper in your ear in this room
Straight out of star trek, state of the art
Everything buzzes and whirs and blinks and beeps
Tubes and bags and flesh and technology inside
It's a room with a view outside
The soaring blue of the Ben Franklin bridge
An elegant church steeple, Camden's tall city hall
I think this would please you
We stroke your hair, hold your hand
Talk and tell stories and I think that I see you
Sit up, listening to us with a gentle smile
John the nurse brings a tray with
Coffee, tea, fancy Pepperidge Farm Cookies
Chocolate and butter comfort in fluted paper cups
This would please you, too
The chaplain says can I say a prayer for her? Of course
Yes, yes we're her sisters, thank you
A woman sweeps the floor, she sprays and mops
A lovely scent, apple she says, yes that's it
This would please you for sure
The first good day after the surgery
You couldn't wait to be down on your hands and
knees scrubbing your kitchen floor
We stroke your hair, hold your hand
Is she cold? She doesn't like to be cold
A respiration nurse cleans a tube
Just two days ago they brought you here
Huddled, weak and barely breathing
And yet you asked after us -- how you doing?
Now, pumped full of drugs, drugged with drugs
All we can do is stroke your hair, hold your hand
Whisper that we're here, we're here dear friend
Say I love you Say I love you Say goodbye

Comments

[Birsu]

So beautiful, so sad. She is lucky you are there - angels to comfort her, with eyes that see beyond her broken body, with eyes that see her truely, the brilliant soul!!! Love to you!