Poem:

by Sandy Eastoak, Sebastopol Wise Elder, Dancer and Artist

did you find it in that nurse’s eyes
darting between the computer screen & 
your fingers twisting the blanket edge

did you find it in the blue scrubs
of the resident holding you in the gap
between surgical training & boundless compassion

did you find it in the dark skin & light banter
of the aide who washed you in places
you might have been ashamed but were not

did you find it in the soft whisper
of the epidural drip when you pressed
the button for more, more

did you find it in the echoing summons
code blue code blue - somebody’s suffering
more dangerous than yours

did you find it in the wafting layers of dark
where even silence circled the hospital
halls, unpredictably

did you find it in the morning bacon
uniformly crisp, miraculously flavorful
astonishing in the new light

did you find it in the flash of sailboats
seen from the 13th floor window
fog teasing the blue bay

did you find it