An emergency room nurse,
At gurney’s side,
With a patient now in sweating pain…
Who pleaded, mutely…
Please, don’t ask.
But she did, predictably,
Tell me, dear,
One to ten,
What’s your pain?
A quandary then he didn’t need.
Can it be worse than giving birth?
A twisted knee?
Appendix burst?
How could he know.
–Just bring a horse syringe of morphine, nurse,
–Enough to numb a Clydesdale twice,
–And I’ll be fine.
He still has humor, she smiled to herself.
He’ll be fine.
So she brought him two aspirin
And ice chips.