INTERMISSION
by Diane Perrone
I go through Life with my heart pounding
On the move
Trying to fit it all in
Jazzercise grandkids after school Canasta
housekeeping scrapbooking Writers Circle
Bunco beading dinners out shopping
lunches with girlfriends puppy dog time
On hospital mode
my heart rate diminishes
I am diminished
I'm comfortable on a plastic recliner where my feet dangle
Enough to sleep in it fully clothed
Though only at 3:00 am when exhaustion
overwhelms me
And only for 25 minutes or so at a time
Inbetween the moans and nurses' voices and the
sound of my name being called
It's kind of like camping out with just the bare necessities:
a toothbrush, a good book, a warm blanket
Rather than throwing another log on the fire-
learning to cover the vent with an extra sheet to
warm us up
Rather than hearing the cacophony of crickets-
it's the sound of monitors beeping in some strange
chorus up and down the hall
I watch him sleep as hours float by
His face covered in grayish whiskers, nose hairs
out of control,
sideburns pushed sideways by the pillow
Is he in pain? Is his breathing irregular? Is his color more natural?
I want to climb over the rail and snuggle next to him
wound up in his wires and tubes
As hard as it is to be a patient-
It's tough to be patient
waiting for the light to come back to my husband's
eyes
Diane M. Perrone enjoyed a 30-year career with Cincinnati Public Schools, during which she wrote instructional units, manuals, and grants. Eight years ago, Diane and her husband, Wally, migrated to Jacksonville, Florida, where she only writes what she loves. Inspiration for this poem came during Wally's month-long hospitalization following the removal of his left kidney. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments.