(October, 2004)
When you are so sick and feeble
you can’t get up from the bed
the nurses will still change it
They ingeniously
position you
knees bent, hands crossed against chest,
on the upper third of the bed
then unwrap the skillfully folded sheet
and lift you until you are cradled
swinging above the bed
while they efficiently
place sheets fresh and clean as Eden
And you weep
as a baby might weep
seeking comfort
seeking a wise mother
who will make all the horror
go away