9915

Nothing today but a girl,

who pulls the oxygen tube
out of her nose,

and says thru her grandson,
“it hurts to breathe…”

while ivy knots her left wrist
home.

The nurse enters through
curtains stressed by the demands

of x-rays, doses of nitro & needles,
to asks, “Are you okay?”

But how can you be okay?

In Room 9915,
Nothing is complete!

The gown they give exposes
the aging back,

the bed knows nothing of
gravity & draws midway,

the blanket never
covers the torso!

& If not for the
Christ wearied from

hanging crucified
above the door,

you would put faith into fairytale magic & spells.

So then what allows a Buddhist in a Christian hospital to sleep?
Biblical intervention or suspended animation?

Or perhaps, all sufferers are given a wristband
with a name & addressed inscribed

to remind them
the body doesn’t last.

First Line from Ed Bok Lee, AT MIHWANGSA TEMPLE