Dans L'Hopital

Insomniac nights

have brought me here

for a long needed rest-

Among the other invalids

put to the test

by so many troubles

that I know not where to begin.

 

A suicidal mother of two

younger than three

threw herself upon the

metro track hoping to

die from electricity.

 

Another mother

who gave birth to a

still born girl

years ago and to this day

has not recovered

mentally

from the loss of her child.

 

The first one was such

a difficult birth

that she can bear no more

and so will remain childless

all her days

unless she adopts

but the loss of her one and only child

has left her mind unwound

and she is not ready yet

to take on someone else's forgotten babe.

 

So rest with me

side by side

to recover from the losses

that we hide inside.

 

An older man too

has lost his son

at the tender age of nine

God, where would I be

if I lost mine.

 

Instead, I lay awake at night

while they are all drugged up

drawing pictures of my boy

and writing poetry

about the love I feel

for all these human beings.

 

These souls full of suffering

and pain-

one war veteran

can't even remember his name.

 

There there is that lovely

African-American girl

who has one brother in jail

and the other touched her

over and over

where he should not have tread

when she was so tiny

that is still fills her with dread.

 

And so I feel the strongest

with these lines and textures

that I place upon my pages

healing me

my sweet therapy

and share them with my neighbors

they beg for copies

and ask that I draw them too

to set them free

from these cages

that they have come

to live within their minds.

 

I tell them jokes

off the cuff perhaps

not so appropriate

some may say

but they do the trick

to see these suffereing

beings smile once again

and each and every one of them

has received a gift

from me in remembering

to tell their stories

no matter how severe

remember that these things

we do to one another

affect mother, father and

the child

so severely sometimes

that there is nothing to

do but sleep it off in

drug induced comas

brought on by the doctor's

who don't stop to think

that perhaps taking the time

to talk to them

or encourage them to take up

a craft

might heal them even more

as it has done for me

now goodnight sweet neighbors

from the streets all about my town

I can rest again

now that I know I have made

a difference

as you have said I did.

 

 

Reviews

[Alexander W. Quinn]

A bit of a bitter sweet read here. So sad, and yet, the connection underneath is so optimistic and such a strong belief in what the simple joys can bring out in people. I very much enjoyed the read, and I thought having the title in a different language (French?) was clever. It drew me to it as soon as I saw the poem itself was in English.
Thank you for sharing!

[Dan Bullock]

So many strong words, visually, painful yet poignant and so another wonderful work.

[Gandré]

This is also a celebration of life. Very sweet deep altruism this is celebrating love to the neighbour and humanity. I cannot write long review for writing with blackberry y
Computer screen damaged checking on guarranty i also cannot post rating with BBerry.

Thanks for sumitting this work to my contest.
Much love.
L Gandre

[Natasha Ashway]

Lovely!

[Emily B]

We should remember that there is a fine line between here and there. So easily the line is broken.

[Laura E. Aranda]

This was a great dictition, well written and interesting throughout....Good luck in the contest! Cheers, lea

[alternative_be]

This reminds me of my mother while she was in hospital for observation, all feverish and not properly diagnosed yet. She was very compassionate and helpful towards others during her whole life. Mostly, you will find 4 beds in a hospital room where I live. What she went through and how she minded others even though she was ill herself is what I find so beautifully written in your poem.
This could have been a tribute to my mother.
I have written her one in my native language.
After reading your poem, I am thinking of translating my tribute to my mother into English and posting it here. She always liked English and I have a feeling she would have loved it here and your poem as well!

[Silent Kim aka mizmetap..]

This is so eloquent. You have such a soft serene style in your writing. I love the flow and craft the you execute. Again thanks for entering my contest and Good Luck.

[curley]

Sad, but inspiring; a tale of woe, but terribly hopeful. Amazing job. It makes me want to get up and do something, convinced that all we've ever wanted is for our stories to be told, for us individually to be heard. "..healing me, my sweet therapy.." I relate to this so well, my writing my only comforting escape sometime. Way to put things into perspective! I really, really enjoyed this. Thanks so much for sharing! God bless.

[SweetPeachesAlways]

Absolutely incredibly beautifully written...sad, it's true...thought-provoking as well, but WOW. What a powerful piece you have written here! To say it is dynamic is an understatement! Author, author! Bravo! Going in my favorites posthaste!

[Melanie Jane Boicourt S..]

God put you in a place to heal and if this is true, I believe He will use you again. Keep your heart open and your mind aware to do what may seem like little thing. They can bring big changes. I find that making other people feel better always makes me feel better too!
Thank you for sharing. Love All, Mejasha