ICU

At the hospital
Wound care this
Morning I heard the
Voice announcement
Three times ICU code blue.
Three patients in intensive
Care had died so I asked
The young woman who
Sits at the door taking
Temperatures if she
Was saddened by
So many deaths
And she looked
Me in the eye
And said
Code
Blue ICU
Now I don’t
See you and I
Knew she had seen
Too much too young to
Be so callous toward death.
I laughed at her quip but I am
Old and no stranger to death
Or what happens in our
Hospitals and rehab
Wards yet even my
Black humor
Winced at
Her hard
Look.
I think I will
Get a vaccination.
Call it a hunch or guess,
Intuition yes, intubation no.
This COVID is drying out
The shallow end of
The gene pool
Who scoff
Go mask-
Less in a
Crowd
ICU
Code blue.