A letter to my brother's cardiologist

modeled after Ms. Gruye's Letter to my mothers nerurologist.

letter to my brothers cardiologist

12PM
the antiseptic smell
of hospital gowns and IV's
lies thick upon his skin.
It sticks to the noisy tissue paper
lining the examination table.
It shadows the bend of his back
highlighting the previous surgical scars.

"I have these moments..."
he starts. His mouth gaping wide
saliva stretched thin between his teeth.
"I can't breathe." His voice quiet.
his voice scared.

Your fingers skitter across the keyboard.

Up comes the CAT scan.
You tell him,"When we looked last time
this hole in your heart's wall was smaller.
and it was considered benign."

He leans forward,
looking at the black,
inky depths of his illness.
He fists his hands and stares at his feet.
He wonders which other parts
were made defective in the womb.

Reviews

[Ms. Gruye]

Hello! Thanks for entering the imitation= flattery contest. I am truly flattered by your endeavors above. The piece you chose to imitate "Letter to My Mother's Neurosurgeon" has a particular soft spot with me, as it is steeped in a very recent event regarding my mother's illness.

What you have done here is something stronger than I could have possibly conveyed. These lines are a tour de force:

Up comes the CAT scan.
You tell him,"When we looked last time
this hole in your heart's wall was smaller.
and it was considered benign."

hit like freight train. Your working within the framework of my piece, but found a way to make it sing out louder, and they can hear you all the way in the back of room.

Your last two lines are on equal footing as well. This is the best form of flattery: taking something of mine and making it your own. Thank you so much. I am honored that a work of mine has contributed to something as powerful and lasting as this! Viva la