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March 6, 2021

Mourning # 15


Mourning # 15

 

What would you say if we met

in the ICU, or at a funeral or wake

in a parking lot, masked up and

distanced, I only see your eyes

and your body under your clothes

if you were attracted too, equal, 50/50

the ideal match – let’s have sex

have you had a swab or the vaccine?

have you tested negative in the last 14 days?

have you been exposed to anyone

who has COVID even with no symptoms?

do you now or have you ever had

the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)

you know, I think I’ll wait

for sex love attraction touch anything

until this all is all over if ever

like Ken and Barbie dolls

more valuable

in the original plastic-

wrapped cardboard boxes.

 

---- Holly Figueroa O’Reilly writes today:

My husband has been feeling poorly

for a few days and decided to go in

to be tested for COVID-19. Instead,

we just found out that he has AML:

acute myeloid leukemia. Or I should say,

‘he’ found out. Alone. They won’t let me

visit him. Because of COVID-19. 

You probably don’t know my husband 

and for that, I am truly sorry that you haven’t

met the best man I’ve ever known. This is

a guy who opted to work with COVID-19

patients in the ICU instead of tele-health

because he couldn’t just sit by and watch.

For months, he spent 12+ hour days in the

ICU taking care of COVID19 patients.

He left his practice (he’s a sleep medicine

specialist) in order to volunteer in the ICU

because they were short-staffed. He watched

people die without their families.

            He held iPads up so families could say

goodbye to dying COVID19 patients and watch

their family members take their last breaths. He 

stripped off his scrubs in the garage and showered

before coming up to see his family at night,

if anyone was still awake.

            I could go on and on about how amazing

he is, but I’m completely broken. Please spare

a thought for my hubs tonight. He went from 

thinking he might have COVID to getting a bone

marrow biopsy, chemotherapy, and a minimum

4-6 week hospital stay within the course of a few

hours.