Hallway

They made him stay

in a hospital hallway,

An old guy.

They traded looks w/his awkward family,

the very old guy’s.

His  head  bled  steadily.

Third time this week he’d fallen.

This time, now, he’d allowed

trumpeting sirens & a ride in.

Waiting is  the true torture & nature

of emergency rooms and very late nights but

the head scan results were way slow &

it was the hallway. When the old guy got wind

that he needed a staple or two in his head

he heard “his heart”. He turned irascible,

saying he would not  stay nor die in this hospital

and said louder still he’d  “walk out and keep on walking”

as he started to pull on his wiry connections & insertions.

He yelled when they stapled him & didn’t believe the staff or the family

he’d be released.

ever