I asked the Doctor
to clean out my ears
with his steel syringe
The sensation was bizarre:
a rush of blood to the head
like the sea breaching a dike
At last, success!
A mighty plug of wax expelled
The inner ear controls your balance, though
As I came out into the light
I put my sole down hard
where there was nothing
except the edge
of a concrete path
The pain was sudden & excruciating
It hurt so much
that my body anaesthetised itself
but I knew when the bruises
started to form
like a layer of ash between
two strata of muscle
I’d really feel it
•
Yesterday my father stepped back
from raising the flag on his front stoop
into thin air
He fell on his back
on the concrete path
& couldn’t get up
None of his strategies worked:
rolling to one side
clutching at the stone wall
for leverage
calling for help
There was no-one there to hear
At last a neighbour came out
& helped him up
They managed to clear enough space
in the books & magazines
& papers on his bed
for him to lie down
He’s back on his feet this morning, though
•
