as I lie face up
on the hospital bed
waiting for 5 stitches
in my hard Calabrese head
Ali says
your ekg was good
your heart is better
than a young person’s
and Adnan nods
his blood pressure too
it’s because you have
an empty heart
Ali says
empty I ask
no woman he says
no woman no pain
Adnan smiles
a little laugh
some sad recognition
of a truth
they both share
and I think
maybe it’s time
to fill it
here in a city
among true friends
for even some pain
is better
than lying empty
and unused
Reblogged this on Translations from the English and commented:
I have been following Leonard’s blog since I joined WordPress just under a year ago. I learn so much from his work and our shared interest in poetry, I think I’ve earned my L.D. (life degree?) from LD. Enjoy this new poem of his.
I hope you are feeling better…professor…good luck on the chase …somebody I am sure will come along…or maybe she is already there and you just do not see her..look around…who knows…
Well if she is, she’s pretty damn quiet.
But thanks for the comment.
Powerful piece.
Thank you, Robert. I enjoy your work, too.
Get well soon Leonard. We hope you are fine.
Thank you, Rukiye. I seem to be well looked after here, but I also must learn not to think of myself as Steve McQueen. A cultural reference but if you look up his famous motorcycle chase scene in The Great Escape on YouTube, you’ll see what I mean. But sincerely I thank you for the comment.
Ah. Just a sigh for this one. I’m glad your ekg was ok, and I hope your heart fills with friends.
Thank you. I think I am in the right place to fill my heart now.
Another (different) sigh 🙂
And I thought I sighed a lot. But sighing is good. It relieves the weight in one’s heart.
🙂
Amazing poem. All good wishes for your heart 😉
My heart thanks you.