blood
I don't mean I'm a vampire, not at all. but I've lost a lot of blood lately. enough that the hospital infused five units of blood plasma, then transfused two more units of blood. they only do that when you've lost a lot of blood. and this morning I gave up some more. I had a procedure yesterday afternoon, and the doctor warned me after that procedure that "a little bleeding will be normal" but to get myself back to the hospital if I bled more than that. (imagine me scratching my head.) how does one know when the amount of bleeding surpasses "a little"? well, I reluct to return so soon, so I'm declaring this morning's bleeding still "a little". so how then does one appreciate blood? by remembering that when it has lots of red blood cells, it carries oxygen to the brain, to other organs, including the skin. (at one point in the hospital, a doctor told me "you have no color." I suspect he didn't mean I was transparent, just that I was paler than pale. during the transfusion, that doctor saw me again and remarked that I was much better, "now you're only pale.") trust me, I am not ruddy yet. but anyway, that carrying oxygen business is important. I am told the brain needs it, and so do all your other organs. I'm not ready yet to do without my organs, especially not my brain. I like my brain. I like how it plays with words, learns about them, turns them over, looks up antecedents, finds related words. I like how it takes them and the grace of whatever poetry is and forms poems that are very much Wyatt's poems. I like that it has listened enough that it makes poems you like to hear or read. thank you, brain; and thank you, blood, for keeping my brain oxygenated. oh, how well we work together!
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