Awaiting Exploratory Spinal Surgery on Thanksgiving, 1963 at 20

Horrifying

As I kicked off from the pool bottom,

buddy's heel hit me in the back of the neck?

Like a snake, I slithered through the water,

over the poolside with, "What the heck?"

I stood at the top of the cliff,

assessing deep water below,

when someone pushed me,

from behind as I turned and fell.

Scraping my chest on the edge,

as my outstretched arms caught my fall,

but not before my heart in my throat,

scared me like none before.

Saw the flash of the van pull out,

and hit the brakes so very hard,

she squatted down and her rear came up,

sliding to the left sideways, dealt a bad card.

"Don't catch, don't catch!" Was in my mind,

when she caught and we rolled, time after time.

"Stupid!" thought I with my arm hugging the roof.

Tasted grass as she pressed over me just fine. 

My knee stitched up and my hot rod torn apart,

we all made it home slightly injured that night.

I thought her leaving me after was very bad,

I had no idea what really would be my plight.

I woke up on the operating table,

from that pool four years in the past.

My neurosurgeon looked me in the eyes,

"Are you all right?" He asked.

Bright light haloing his worried face,

I replied, "I'm okay, Doc. I'm fine!"

The light faded out and I awoke,

with no feeling of what was mine.

For 20 days and 20 nights,

every time I closed my eyes,

I fell backward into nothingness,

large red circles rolling over me,

with thoughts of my demise.

Closing on the truck to pass,

the wooden gate fell off,

followed by many ears of field corn,

roller bearings in my mind.

On shale on the mountainside,

I started to slide down off a cliff.

Struggling to keep from the inevitable,

my friend threw me a rope lift.

At the top of the stairs,

my heel caught the metal strip,

I teetered with great anguish,

luckily, didn't  take that fatal trip.

Having to go so badly, rushed,

I pulled the split toilet seat up,

my feet slipped out behind me, fell,

hard, my jaw jammed tight in the gap.

Arms useless, minutes I struggled,

thankful I didn't break my neck,

with all my strength lunged up and right,

to floor alongside, an exhausted wreck.

When the rock hit the windshield,

my reaction was too easy and quick,

I pulled my steering hard to the right,

my van complied into the thick.

Straight ahead was a solid green wall,

at 60 mph death became very real.

My life did not flash before my eyes,

"We're dead!" Was my actual appeal.

Most of these without injury or death,

but they sure were a lot of scary fun,

I'm sure you had your own in life,

more real than any scary dream's run.

Copyright 2020 © Ronald W. Hull

10/22/20

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