Seven Days

. . . on returning to work as a nurse

Day 1.
The breath of angels
Is born of the unquiet
Inside of evaporating tears
Shed in honor of the end
Before the next beginning
Sometime after the fall

Thus the wind originated
From a choir of angels
Breathing synchronously
While someone was waiting
For a phone call
About a nursing job

Day 2.
The call came yesterday
I got the job if I want it
She said
Contingent upon the health screen
You know the drill
She said
Hoops and hopes
Balanced like a ball
On the nose of a seal

The weight of opportunity
Is an acorn clamped in a crow’s beak
While doubt shapes triangular shadows
That pass over the roofs
Like hands across a flame

Day 3.
Last night
I had a dream
A team of specialists
Were at work on the particulars
Picking apart disparities
Sifting through irregularities
Changing the look here
The appearance there
Altering the face
The topology of my fate

Today
my motivation
Is an amorous
Gaseous beast
Depowered and stilled
At the side of the road
Reluctant to budge
In love with the oil spot
Beneath its belly

Day 4.
With due respect to the loss of innocence
I accept the position
Of evening charge nurse
On the geriatric, psychiatric ward
As offered

In the absence
Of my becoming
What I thought I might should have been
I am this that I am
And realistically speaking
I am of course ideally
Right where I’m meant to be
Amen
I got the goosebumps

Day 5
Good morning
Envy is the code word for disappointment
How do I measure up
Against the others
Taller
Thinner
Tougher
Slower, smarter, wiser
Funnier, handier, better looking
Needed more
More important
For us or against us
Who is us
Compared to whom

When it comes down to me
Will I be against you
So I can pretend
You are next to me

What envy fears the most
Is loss of self
And envy blames the other
For the fear
That is its own

Day 6
One more day
Besides this one
To invent the world
And then one day to rest
November 6th
Saturday
I love my family
The sunlight is in bars
Between the blinds
I’m drinking it in
Meanwhile I’m told
Dementia and Agitation
Were admitted to the hospital
Treated and released
Over-sedated

Clarity
Is the name
Of one
Who plays second violin
But you can’t see
From out front
Which one that is

Here at home
Love is fast asleep
Lying next to me
Goodnight dear
Sweet dreams

Day 7
Energy gathering
Food preparation
Taking responsibility
Bringing oneself to a higher level
In order to spill over the obstacles
Confronting limitation
With ruthless honesty
Redefining boundaries
Sharpening constructive inhibition
These are readying activities
For work in nursing

Detachment from substance dependency
Moderation of desire
Domestic attentiveness
Physical exercise
Dream remembering
Receptivity to teaching
Awareness of resistance to learning
Cultivating the ability
To ascertain and perform
With simultaneous ambidexterity
Synchronous parallelism
And conscious processing

Hear the language of the body
Keep a sense of humor
Sing and dance
Think, pray, get excited
Ask questions
Employ discerning acceptance
Delineate attraction
Jealousy and identification
Do not deny
The shadow side of judgement
But rely
On the ability to decide
Listen, receive and let go
And remain one’s own

Good fortune
And blessings be with you
On returning to work
As a nurse