Stents and New Beginnings

You do a stint in the Army or some other form of service
You don’t do a stent; it is an entirely different animal, as they say
These metallic weaves are designed to hold open your blood vessels
Where platelets and plaque have closed them off or nearly so
They are strong much like the Chinese torture trap
Insert a finger into each end of these devices and pull in vain: you are trapped
Stents carry a heavy burden even greater than did Atlas holding up the world
They keep your heart beating, giving you life beyond your heredity indicators.

Their simplicity belie their power
They are inserted via a catheter, expanded by balloon, and ouila!
You can walk again without pain, breath deeply again without gasping
Go to sleep again without thinking about dying
You can drink, laugh, love and enjoy life again.

But they come with a caution and a price.

More than your heart they awaken your conscience and your moral compass
They remind you constantly that your life has meaning and purpose
And they insist that you take heed of your vast array of responsibilities
That you heretofore had pushed into the background.

Perhaps for the first time you know you're on borrowed time
Yet get to feel each heartbeat, each tiny quiver as your blood courses in its journey
You must exercise without over doing it
Eat well but with care to not over indulge.

Above all you must now learn to love nature and all that she embraces
You have no time for foolish excuses
You must lump all those old prejudices and hatreds and jaundiced bigotries
And heave them forever onto the dung heap of misguided thoughts and actions
Life is too precious—now you must live it with renewed energy and purpose.

You do not have to be kind, caring, loving, and understanding
Not always but it’s fun to try, and nobody ever hates you for trying
You will definitely enjoy learning how to listen—
To birds and cats and babbling brooks and to music
Not to the loud harsh kind, but to the soothing, mellifluous compositions.

You may even agree that a stent is one of the modern wonders of the world
It opens your eyes, your mind, and your heart to the beauty of life on Earth
It shows you your potential in it with great clarity
It melts away the chill of a cold heart and lets you feel again
It reminds you of all that while it awakens you to your place in this world
And to a relationship with others that borders on the divine.