Impossible to spend a quiet morn’

At the shared bedsitter

Of a poet and his fashionista pal

Partnered for a stormy 49 years

The ups and downs of eventful

Lives.

There’s tragedy in B’s life

There’s constant drama in ways

Of staying together:

Economies and friendship are

Steering in an overdrive

A marriage that never had been

Called as one – she stated

And her spouse the artist had

To cope with promising her Mom

Never to leave this marriage.

 

The escape to the bus offers relief

And the tram ride to the AKH –

Vienna’s general hospital –

Is on good time.

The so called ‘Öffis’ are efficient.

 

The AKH – a city within a city

With many groups of out-patients

Visitors and white coated doctors

And nurses

Mill along Hospital Street

To the lift banks for the designated

Departments.

The eye-clinic for out-patients

Marked blue

Is located on level eight.

 

It’s 10:00 and reception confirms

One’s arrival.

The waiting game has started.

At 11:00 one accepts an hour’s time

Spent sitting on plastic shell chairs

Reading the papers.

At 12:00 one becomes restless having

Read even details of the news and

One’s spouse adds more weight to

A stressful wait

Amazed that one is not yet ready

And operated.

Just as one intends to visit the

Nearest toilet

But is afraid to miss the call-up

A blue dressed nurse appears

And calls out one’s name.

 

She agrees that one has a quick

Pee and as soon as one is back

To the outpatient’s department

To undress and slip into a wide

Hospital shirt fitting xxx-large

People – some present.

 

Seated in the preparation area

One is well cared for by a nurse

Who is composed

Gentle

Attentive

Administering eye drops

A few times.

Time goes on. The clock shows

13:00. Relaxation time’s

All important.

 

A few minutes later a tall man

All geared up for the op-room

Guides one to the nearby

Operating room.

Hello there – Prof. S. greets

And soon one is adjusted on

The sophisticated green clad

Table and hooked on for

Measuring blood pressure.

 

On comes the             cover over the

Head and a clamp for the eye

And in short time the bright

Light one has to look into

Is fluctuating and variations

Of a game as in a looking glass

Appear

A waterfall cooling and washing

Invites to dive into a pond.

 

Prof. S. works efficiently and

With a long experience to his

Expertise and one feels in safe

Hands.

Amazed how quickly the

Operation had been finished

One is speedily taken back

To the recovery room

Where a few patients already

Rest and relax with a drink.

 

Sitting back on a linen clad chair

The friendly polish nurse attends

With eye drops

Serves a sandwich and a cappuccino

One dozes off having a release

From the long wait and the feeling

That the procedure had been a

Good success.

 

The patient next to me lauds the

Hospital and the surgeon

He is served a sandwich and also

A cappuccino.

We talk about our experiences

And his enthusiasm makes the

Nurses smile.

 

Finally a post-operative check-up

By the professore

All’s in good order and time to

Change and go home.

It’s 15:00. The long wait is already

Overwritten by the good feeling

Of having survived the day

Albeit with a bandaged eye one

Has to move carefully.

 

zoltanzelan

ZJG-POetry’18.