II.

 

Five oxygen tubes.

 

Intervals narrowing, widening, narrowing.         Pssst.

 

Five mouths.

Dependent.

 

Pssst. Like a secret.

The tubes and tanks, keys, nozzles.

 

Pssst.             Pssst. Pssst.     

               Pssst.                                  Pssst.

 

Weathered machinery.

Not as good as they once were.

 

I sink down in my chair.

Study the walls.

Try not to make too much eye-contact.

 

She's on my left eating complimentary cookies.

 

They are so sweet.

She keeps repeating as the cookies slowly turn to crumbs.

They are so sweet.

 

Across the room, an old man in a green cap is studying me.

This makes me anxious.

Pssst. He puts a hand up to his nose, where the oxygen flows on a "3".

       Pssst. Pssst.

He looks like he has a secret.

 

A couple enter the room.

A man pushing a woman in a wheel-chair.

She has a beige scarf wrapped around her head and is

 

trying not to make eye-contact.

 

"Scuuuuuse me." As he rolls her past.

She looks up briefly, then back into her lap.

 

He positions her facing the far wall.

She's going west.

We're all north and south.

 

It's no secret.

I think she realizes this.

 

The coffee's ran out.

 

Pssst.

 

The mouths are moving.

Incoherent chatter.

 

Every now and then, I catch a word.

Turn it over in my head.

 

Celexa.

                  Paxil.      Zoloft.              Lexapro.

      Lyrica.       Lorazepam.

                                 Ativan.

 

 

All little secrets they share.

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Tannen Dell]

Indigo Rising Magazine seeks original and innovative material. This is a platform for writers to find a place to send their best and brightest work. We are open to a wide array
of arts and literature for readers to enjoy.

Best regards,

Tannen Dell.
Editor-in-Chief

&

Michael Whitaker
Co-Editor

Find us at: indigorisingmagazine.blospot.com

[jenniewren (J.W. Bouwma..]

the sound words you use in this punctuate in all the right places.. and they pulled me deeper into the narrative.

that last line gave actual goosebumps...

[Scott Christian]

This is an interesting piece. Obvious medical references, but hint at a completely different meaning other than visiting a sick relative/friend.

[Leap]

Medicated America. How sweet the sound.

[DavidRyanM]

Honestly. It's writers like yourself that make me feel like such a fraud. The originality of the piece. The freshness of the voice...I think I need to try harder. Brilliant.