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Wayne Ray
Every day she makes her way
from her place to mine, and
every day she has her say
to everyone standing in line
as I am patiently waiting, and
watching the reflection off her hair
that tears the rust off my heart.
Every day she hands out meds,
this Florence Nightingale of Jail
and every day I wait my turn
to see her lips part Giaconda smile
at not seeing me for a while,
says my name a little differently,
touches my hand a little longer,
drops the pill on my skin, and
breathes a deep friendly breath,
I watched the nurse
with her blue spoon
badgering our nana.
The old woman
stitched up her mouth
with what will
she had — she would
choose her time,
her place, her way.
Welcome to our vertical facility.
Affliction put you in your current
horizontal state. Our machines
will swallow then disgorge you.
Our nurses will swaddle you,
lay you in a basket of morphine,
float you out upon a reservoir of misery.
Our physicians will take note of you.
Lie flat, please, as little waves
of pain lap, nip at your being.
Lying awake in the ward
Long hours as any must,
I wonder where the dust
Comes from, the Dust, the Dust!
That makes their life so hard,--
The nurses, who must rub
The soon appearing crust
Of green on the bright knob.
And little bits of fluff,
Dull white upon the floor,
Most soft, most curious stuff
That sidles to the door
When no one sees, and makes
Deep wrinkles and heart-breaks;
Light sighs and curses rough.
Oh! if a scientist
Dear Jane! dear winsome Jane!
How you stole in the room (where I lay so ill)
In your nurse’s cap and linen cuffs,
And took my hand and said with a smile:
“You are not so ill—you’ll soon be well.”
And how the liquid thought of your eyes
Sank in my eyes like dew that slips
Into the heart of a flower.
Dear Jane! the whole McNeely fortune
Could not have bought your care of me,
By day and night, and night and day;
Nor paid for your smile, nor the warmth of your soul,
In your little hands laid on my brow.
Jane, till the flame of life went out
In the dark above the disk of night
I longed and hoped to be well again