Evocation #61 Hospital Visit

I was called by a friend to visit a relative in hospital. This was my first visit back since Terry’s passing....


Don the collar, prep the prayer,
Pack a bag with useful items.
Learn some names, read a bio.
Pray some more...

Ride the trike, feel the breeze,
Catch the sun and scare the birds,
Cruise along the pathway,
weaving ‘tween unhurried walkers.

Up the hill towards the place
of healing and of dying.
Both hopes are known to me
and I find myself praying
to the rhythm of the pedals.

I lock the machine and enter the building,
Checking the Ward and Bed number.
As I walk the hall, I spy some women,
Yes - they answer my Enquiries,
We are visiting him too.

We travel together to find the waiting room
where family gather and stories are shared.
It seems good to share some basic info...
much as he used to in waiting rooms.

We talk and share and grieve the situation,
Yet, I know, they still hang onto some hope,
For he still breathes, despite his pain.
I remember my thoughts and hopes
from mere weeks ago. So little time, this eternity.

How long with this time persist - this purgatory?
Hope now is in death - unlikely to come for years yet.
Will this daily wailing ease?
People do not easily see the grieving I keep apart.

This hospital visit allows me to wonder
at what has been lost and gained and experienced.
So much struggle - years of it.
Would I wish for less for this boy?

After the visit, i step into the lift,
But go up rather than down.
I go to his ward and visit the staff.
I say thanks and let them know of the peaceful departure.
One more loose end is tied - prettily.

I ride home, watering the plants on the path as I go.

© A A Koh-Butler, 2020