My Hospital Stay Poem by Richard Lackman

Four white walls and a ceiling light defined my scenic view
A small TV on a pull out arm and a picture quite askew
Old tan spreads and thin white sheets were thrown about the bed
And fell in heaps about my feet like a puffy thunderhead

My dancing partner beeped at me with menacing alarm
With four small wheels and a steel gray shaft and an IV in my arm
Instead of shirts and pants and shoes I simply wore a gown
With knotted straps and broken snaps like a frightful hand-me-down

How ludicrous I must have looked while standing at the door
Like some great driftwood log all worn and washed up on the shore
Or an aging statue pitted by the winds along the sea
Barely recognizable as what it used to be

I recall my precious youth and good times that I had
Pursuing life with courage like a reborn Gallihad
But I survived the worst of it and I am here to say
With great appreciation I thank God for every day