Apologies
Alex Okun
You were right.
That IV was no good.
Looking at his arm all swollen like that,
I thought, “That says it all.”
I’m sorry we kept bothering you.
“Please don’t wake him for vitals,”
You told us.
Sometimes we don’t see the signs.
I was hoping she would stay home longer,
That you would have had more time together.
She liked starting school every September.
She loved that backpack.
I’m sorry it always took so long
To get into the room.
I’m sorry I took so long to call you back.
I liked our long talks.
If I say “we,”
Then maybe I’m not to blame.
We don’t know why some children
Develop this complication.
We don’t know why
The brain is so fragile,
Yet so enduring.
That’s not very nice.
We don’t know why
It happened.
I know you had some ideas.
So did they.
Remember the time
We didn’t start the dopamine?
She pulled through that fine,
Amused at our discussions.
Or the time
We got the antibiotics started so fast,
And his blood culture grew out
Only a few hours later?
Those storms down South were nothing
Like what hits you every day.
The levees » Continue Reading.