Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Nursing Home Revisited

they put me in this strange new home 
no longer can I live alone 
windows with unfamiliar views 
and clearly these are not my shoes

my name is written on my clothes
so anyone who sees them knows 
my underwear I will not lose 
but clearly these are not my shoes 

no decisions will I make today 
my options all taken away 
except for which dessert to choose 
I tell you these are not my shoes

they threw my handkerchiefs away 
a biohazard so they say 
I read about it in the news 
damn it, these are not my shoes

Social Security pays my bills 
nurses now control my pills 
so medicine I won’t abuse
these are not my fuckin’ shoes
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12 comments:

  1. Ginny BrannanJanuary 12, 2011 at 6:23 AM

    Excellent poem!!Love the perspective of this, an elderly person who can no longer care for herself, but definitely has all her faculties! We should all be so feisty when we reach that age.

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  2. TimoteoFebruary 22, 2011 at 2:29 PM

    No one should be held prisoner for the "crime" of living too long.

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  3. Brian MillerFebruary 22, 2011 at 2:51 PM

    ugh. i so never want to go there...i do like going to visit...particularly those that no one else comes to see...

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  4. UnknownFebruary 22, 2011 at 4:28 PM

    My father-in-law is in a nursing home, and he is always missing socks and such. Though it's sad, it's funny, too. I suppose you have to laugh instead of cry. Nicely done.

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  5. AnonymousFebruary 22, 2011 at 5:13 PM

    Nicely balanced piece Charlie. Poignant and yet feisty. Welcome to One Shot!

    Carys

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  6. Shashidhar SharmaFebruary 23, 2011 at 3:25 AM

    Hi Charlie Parant

    Ok, its very interesting and your use of 'not my shoes' shows the frustration at its highest best...

    ॐ नमः शिवाय
    Om Namah Shivaya
    http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com/2011/02/whispers-tanka-and-search-for-being.html
    Connect with me at Twitter @VerseEveryDay

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  7. AnonymousFebruary 23, 2011 at 4:02 PM

    I remember this one wel, Charlie... and yes I like it...great use of repetition and the frustration of an aging person becoming infirm

    Great to see you blogging and on One Shot Weds!

    Luke

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  8. AnonymousFebruary 23, 2011 at 4:03 PM

    ps I'll pop your blog link on the Group info

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  9. Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis HallMarch 7, 2011 at 11:39 AM

    what a tour, vivid and creative.

    A++
    well done.

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  10. AnonymousMarch 7, 2011 at 6:20 PM

    Dang this is good. rings back some sad memories. vb

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  11. AnonymousMarch 8, 2011 at 5:53 PM

    This is so good and puts you into the mind of a NH patient.

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  12. AnonymousMarch 9, 2011 at 12:57 AM

    So true to life (my grandfather is in a nursing home), never quite know how to respond to the things they do sometimes.

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