The Reminder
There I sat
Perched at the end of my bed
Tray cover in one hand
Staring intently at the tray
Still full of pureed food in front of me
I was trying to catch a fly.
It would flit about
Here and there
And finally, ultimately,
It would land on my food
The thickened juice was its favorite.
Slam!
Missed again!
And so I would wait
For the next opportunity
When the irreverent fly would
Light upon my meal
My frustration grew with
This uninvited guest I’d
Had for almost two days then as
Every meal was marked by its presence.
Its buzz distracted me during rounds.
Had it no sense of decorum?
Did it not know this was a hospital??
Nothing is supposed to like hospital food!
People here were trying to get better!!
It seemed to run on its own schedule
It did what it wanted to
It came and went as it pleased
It buzzed when there was to be quiet
It would sit cleaning itself even
As it deftly undid the work of the janitors
I took it upon myself
To imprison it becasue as I watched,
I realized it had no place in my room.