With Dad at the Hospital
Poem
Dad orders dinner
and three nurses come through
before it arrives
extracting or injecting
keep the lungs working
He says, “I have a lung guy.”
He has a lung guy.
“A lun’ Guy from LunG Island.”
Baked mac and cheese
the first nurse adds steroids
and changes a bloody IV
the second nurse tests O2, CO2,
urine, and bowels.
He says, “Sorry I couldn’t be more entertaining.”
I say, “Urine and bowels, Dad. This stuff just writes itself.”
the third nurse has a checklist conversation
“Can you verify your name and birth date?”
He says, “Yes.”
How are you feeling?
Are you having any pain?
Are you having trouble breathing?
Have you walked?
Have you run?
Have you read the news?
Have you seen what’s going on out there?
He is my origin story.
He had fungus in his lungs
He says, “My lun’ Guy said, ‘funGi!’
I’m a fun guy!”
This stuff just writes itself.
Gary Chapin (written Feb 2020)
