“Just ring the bell when you need me”
Says the nurse loudly and clearly
Hangs the plastic knob on the rail
Smiles and determinedly walks away.
The bell is a yellowed white droplet
Only hard so you can push it
The edges are damaged from times
of pain, hunger, thirst or whines.
The black pupil’s staring at the ground,
We’re both watching, not a sound,
And I see the frame and the black patch,
Damaged as baby times latch.
It’s bleeding pain, thirst and hunger
but it’s also bleeding smiles and laughter,
And I keep on staring, wordless
Into the undending shadows of the depths.
As a picture of a cube’s ins and outs
My world is popping ups and downs
and I have always been underfeet,
Looking up at the white plastic teat
Maybe if I touch that black patch in the frame
I’ll get to call her to relieve the pain
Maybe there will be sounds and smiles
And she’ll bring my baby into my arms.