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