NO CAUSE FOR FAME.

A MAN INJURES HIS FINGER AND A NURSE DOES THE JOB.

Mr Coles?
The nurse called.

I followed her
into the hospital
quick fix room
and sat down.

She looked tired
and drained.

How can I help you?
She said.

I showed her my sadly
plastered finger,
blood oozing through
the paster and tissues.

What happened?
She said.

I had a wart
and I knocked it
and it hung there
so I cut it off
and it began to bleed,
well I managed to stop it
first time around,
but this afternoon
it started up again
and it won't stop,
I said.

She took off the tissues
and plaster and she
walked me over to the sink
and washed it clean
and the blood seeped again
blood into the white sink.

Hold it upward,
she said and we walked
back to the chair
and she placed tissue
around it.

She began to unpack
a hygiene pack and set
all the various part out
in the tray and I watched.

She had slim fingers,
clean cut nails.

She was good looking
and slim built, but older
than she first appeared.

She cleaned off the finger
with wipes and then
asked me to hold a piece
of gauze in place while she
set out the lint and bandages.

The blood seeped.

She took off the gauze
and wiped it clean.

She did that thing with the lint
and next thing I knew
the finger was wrapped
neat and tidy and she put  
plaster around to hold it
all in place.

There,
she said,
that's done,
keep it on
for a couple of days
and see how it goes.

Thank you,
I said,
gazing at the finger,
no sign of blood
or the small hole
that bleed like f**k.

See the doctor
about the wart,
she said.

Ok I will,
I said,
and followed her out
of the room and back
to the door.

She walked off
and I walked back
to where I came.

Finger bandaged,
no big deal,
no cause for fame.