Four white walls and a ceiling light defined my scenic view <br />A small TV on a pull out arm and a picture quite askew <br />Old tan spreads and thin white sheets were thrown about the bed <br />And fell in heaps about my feet like a puffy thunderhead <br /> <br />My dancing partner beeped at me with menacing alarm <br />With four small wheels and a steel gray shaft and an IV in my arm <br />Instead of shirts and pants and shoes I simply wore a gown <br />With knotted straps and broken snaps like a frightful hand-me-down <br /> <br />How ludicrous I must have looked while standing at the door <br />Like some great driftwood log all worn and washed up on the shore <br />Or an aging statue pitted by the winds along the sea <br />Barely recognizable as what it used to be <br /> <br />I recall my precious youth and good times that I had <br />Pursuing life with courage like a reborn Gallihad <br />But I survived the worst of it and I am here to say <br />With great appreciation I thank God for every day<br /><br />Richard Lackman<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/my-hospital-stay/
