Visiting time.

Visiting time.

Warm air re-cycled,

Distributed unevenly

Through antiseptic corridors,

Hermetically sealed

To resist

The passage of hot breath,

Contain the sweat

Of fevered brows,

Silence the new mum’s cry,

Constrained by design.

High windows overlook a wide sky,

Tall trees bend in a wild wind,

With little romance

To be found

In a teeming tarmac rain dance.

Soaked cars,

Parked in neat rows,

Find safety in numbers.

With little purpose

They remain,

Lost without owners,

Who splash through potholes,

Seeking an exit.

Ticket machine sentinels

Guard their domain,

A goodbye sign

Saying ‘do come again.’

Someone has a sense of humour.

On the inside there is illness,

Pained voices

Chatter in hushed whispers.

Consultants bark,

Juniors jump,

Children laugh and cry.

The nervous crush,

Painful hugs,

Awkward bedside huddles,

Last minute

Please stay cuddles.

As day becomes night

Lights dim,

Monitors beep,

Disturbing sleep

For some,

As morphine infusion

Creates confusion

Until pain recedes

And for a brief

Tender moment

A woman feels vaguely human,

Sharing a look

With the love of her life.

As he remembers

Every second

He has spent with his wife.

They weep, silently together

And hope

For a better tomorrow.