Winter Solstice 1974

We gave Dad his Christmas present early
A pair of slippers like Grandpa's
We thought they might keep his feet warm
On the cold hospital linoleum
His last and first time there

When the D.T.s hit
He tried to leave, to come home
I.V.s ripped from work-thick arms
Smashing equipment - down the hall
Driving rage to the end

Perhaps he only wanted to die
Under the stars,
Beneath the sky
He never made it out
Of the flourescent maze of hallways

They did emergency surgery
To remove his ruptured pancreas
Just as he feared
He died on his back
Opened up like a gut-shot bear.

K.A.WOOD
1990