ORTHOPEDICS
The leg is not what you thought it was.
No longer are you walking
to and fro the reconstructed
memories your mind wanders.
Well-lit corridors are a way
outside time, and their stations
hum with voices from around the world.
On your back, unmoving, day after day,
you begin to take apart
what remains of your person.
Someone else can have the sunglasses
and the wallet. The watch
needs a timer and a reset key.
On one side of the leg, doctors have pulled
skin together with stitches;
the other side’s fish-like design
is a graft taking hold.
An external fixator extends
from foot to hip and keeps in place
countless fractures.
The tree is a painful fact.
The body has been broken
by its puzzle: pieces of bone
that float in the sky.
You recall the brilliance of this sky
and that it did not let you fall asleep.
Good morning. It's a transition weekend in Iowa. The weather has taken a turn for the cooler side and we saw the first soybeans harvested yesterday. Plants dried out earlier apparently because of the flood. Another contrast of expectations. Sam and I are going to a Hayes Carll concert tonight. He's a Texas singer who co-wrote the second song on Ray Wylie Hubbard's new cd. We are going with friends so it is a fun adventure. Justin Townes Earle's new cd is out on Tuesday and I am really looking forward to that (Robert Plant also has a new cd out that day.). If either is great I will buy you a copy and send it to you. Enjoy the brown cow, it my favorite yoghurt. Love, Tista
ReplyDeletepowerful poem!
ReplyDeleteread it on the blog- excellent!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful poem. From Chico's view....love the ending....
ReplyDelete"you recall the brilliance of this sky
and that it did not let you fall asleep."
Vivid. Gratitude. Surreal.
Thank you for sharing. Still thinking and praying for you both.
Love the poem, and both of you! Do you need help at the house to make ready for Chico's return? Let us know!
ReplyDelete