I will not miss this place but for
the paraffin glow of the young nurse's face,
blonde and almond-eyed,
strange comfort of the flashlight's
blinking on and off as she makes her
nightly rounds, seemingly without steps,
to check if you are still breathing,
kneeling at the bedside to ask,
Are you still awake? Do you need a pill?
as outside the window a dull gray
snow is falling into absence
and you cradle a thought no longer there…MORE