a broken stone by mindgallery
A Broken Stone
Missed Connections in Brooklyn
actually, they didn’t push me onto a stretcher
they did it somewhat gently and proceded to carry me down the quiet
flights of stairs
and i’ll never know what happened
or when and why
i fell that night
i do remember the head nurse though
and how she took charge
and when i said i needed to go to the bathroom
they slipped a plastic sleeve
over my penis and she said
it’s ok, go
and i’ll never forget the feeling of lying
in an emergency room
drunk out of my mind
with a
needle in my arm
supplying the anesthetic
while the rest of the team made sure
my bloody bits were sewn up
and
ready for more
Her Two Cents
Hospital stories occupy a unique place in our brain. While the events surrounding an emergency trip may be muddled or completely forgotten, the small interactions between doctors and nurses may be stored and replayed forever. Whether the recollection is a moment of kindness, compassion, or rude awakening, our incapacity and vulnerability render us completely dependent on the mercy of strangers – humbling, uncomfortable, and memorable to say the least.
