The Pretenders

I’m lying abed
half dead and dying
And this figure appears 
 through a cobweb of pain and tears
And smiles…
A new shift started,
I know the style,
And I know the question before it is asked,
Prying,
“How are you feeling?”
Know I’m dying,
 but thinking,
“Other than that.”
Other than what?
Other than the pain,
The jaundice,
The IV tube,
The nose tube,
The bed pans,
The tiredness,
The agony of loneliness
The boredom,
The aching,
The frustration,
The humiliation,
The dementia,
The paranoia,
The hallucinations?
Other than that, then,
“I’m O.K…I guess.”
The figure hears
And knowing what I know, and more,
Smiles,
Pats my head
And leaves the floor…
That’s the scheme,
But I know that what she really wants to do
Is SCREAM.