From There to Just About Here

I have been in hospital for the last few days for a major operation. Such an event on life's journey certainly makes us stop and think. The wonders of modern medicine are contrasted by the timeless emotions which grip the mind and remind us of our immortality. But, thankfully, life goes on.

     From-

Patient waiting

     To-

Unconsciousness

     While-

The butcher’s healing cut,

Invasive plucking,

And selective drawing,

Invades the integrity of my being

     To-

Slipping and sliding in and out of awareness

And its relief and despair

     To-

Existing in that numbing pain:

Pain which draws the mind in on itself,

Into self-pity and hopelessness,

Banishing the warmth of creative thought,

Others’  love, and

 Ideas, dreams and hopeful images.

  

Then-

Begins the slow toil of recovery,
The growing awareness of life’s breath.

Of hope’s victory over despair

Of faltering footsteps,

     Bright-eyed attention,

              And thankfulness

Which be-gets healing.

The long lane wends into the mists of tomorrow;

A long lane to somewhere

Not yet sign posted,

But not quite where I stood before.

May 2011