Tag: Hospitals

New Orleans12 Comments

Telemetry, 3rd Floor

Charlotte Hamrick

BONG. BONG. BONG…………..beep! I’ve forgotten how to sleep all I can think is scrambled eggs and biscuits Beep! Beep!! Beep!!! I rub my feet together but sleep won’t come Are 3 beeps more urgent than 1? _____________________ I spent last night in the hospital with a loved one where I got about 45 minutes of sleep all night. This morning I feel zombified but, on the bright side, I wrote three poems and began a short story/flash fiction during those sleepless hours. This one is all about last night. Poem shared on dVerse Poet’s Pub, an online community where poets … Continue reading Telemetry, 3rd Floor

New Orleans2 Comments

The Waiting Room

Charlotte Hamrick

Twilight from closed curtains is soothing for sleep deprived eyes. Quiet whispers, families contemplate ventilators, sedated loved ones and impending doctor visits. Sweet cleaning lady empties the trash cans of crumpled coffee cups and “breakfast on the go” bags, swabs the wet floor of steamy bathrooms recently cleansing the tired bodies and flagging spirits of the ones who live in the waiting room. It’s 11:00, time for the second visit of the day and the ritual walk down the long hall to the SICU. Continue reading The Waiting Room