Independence
Passover,
did I miss April Fool’s?
Good Friday,
Easter comes
then Mother’s Day
Memorial Day,
Father’s Day,
Independence Day,
my Birthday.
Did I say Independence?
The only independence
I have now consists of my voice,
“If you would,
please close the door on your way out.”
I buzz for assistance
and pray someone comes quickly.
Pressing the red button again,
it’s been half an hour.
I hear the squeak of nurse’s shoes,
the rustle of stiff scrubs against rushing legs.
The sound heightens at my door,
then is gone.
Being bedfast is not an accomplishment
I consider well done.
Does the red tipped summons really
bring one who cares?
I contemplate how to get out of bed,
roll across the room and lift myself
onto the commode
without bearing weight.
Then, a slight knock on the door,
Oh, thank you. You have come!
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Regis
I pray for quick healing so you can be independent once again.
Peace, love and abundant blessings,
John Michael
I might suggest that you change the word “handicapped.” Back in the 1980s, I ran into a woman tied to a tilted board wheelchair who was a advocate for the disabled. When I used the word, handicapped, she admonished me for using it because it was very derogatory, meaning, “Cap-in-hand.” The disabled community has basically tried to banish the word from common use. I have been paralyzed for 50 years. I went to school and worked the entire time except immediately after I was paralyzed, my surgeon took pity on me, and had all of my my rehabilitation care paid for by welfare (I had insurance, but he didn't bother to ask). When I see a disabled vet, or any disabled person for that matter, standing on a street corner with a hat out collecting money, I see a failure of society for not including that person in the working world where they could make a living instead of begging on the street.
Ron