Where are you, Nurse?

Where are you, Nurse?

Staying in a hospital,
I ignore each groan and cough
The moment that, my eyes are shut,
I usually doze off

The nurse used to wake me up,
not because I was ill
But really, really had to ask,
did I want a sleeping pill?

But on this admission,
was left in an awkward place
For all night long, there was I,
flat upon my face.

So prostrate and wide awake,
my vertebrae a twitchin’
The plaster covering my eye,
that too had started itchin’

My neck had started throbbing,
my big toes joined in too
I thought the nails on both of them,
had bruises that were blue

My arms were cramping,
tingling, they could get no rest
My boobs were stuck into the sheet,
quite flattened to my chest

I waited for that nurse to come,
provide that oblivion giving drug
Didn’t care if pill or not,
even accept nasty tasting glug

Body wracked all flipping night,
my vigil was in vain
There I was, still wide awake
until the daylight came

Glenys Halliday