Checking Out
Checking Out
by Edmund Siejka
In the dimming of twilight
My wife holds the phone close to her ear
Lines of worry crisscross her face
She is talking to her sister
Whose husband is in the hospital
And has taken a turn for the worse.
“Charlie is not doing well
He’s in a lot of pain and
The drugs they gave him
Aren’t working.”
Feeling guilty
I eavesdrop
Catching bits and pieces of words and half sentences.
Soon I stop listening
When the drift of their conversation
Turns to all things funeral.
When it’s my turn in the hospital
I’ll be sitting upright
Propped by two pillows
Sipping Bourbon
Listening to classical music
Until the refined host
Introduces Chopin’s Nocturne No. 2
Played by the Vienna Philharmonic
The volume will not be too loud
But loud enough for me
To feel the orchestra’s strength.
I know the hold of mortal flesh
Is strong
So I will lift my cup
To the patient nurses
Knowing when it’s time
For myself to leave
I will let intuition guide me
And help my spirit
Cross the night.
Copyright © Edmund Siejka | Year Posted 2019
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