Surgery Poem by Jan Oskar Hansen

Surgery
I sat on the bed in the hospital bed, dressed in a new pajama-
shiny and with dragons on-my wife had bought just for this
hospitalization, reading a newspaper, the surgeon came in,
said halloo told me his team was the best, reassuring smile
told me not to worry. A girl, in blue came, served me soup
and there was a sign on my bed that the patient should have
no breakfast. Triple bypass I struggled to think of something
grim like the hereafter and god, but was more alarmed about
this stupid war in Iraq. At dawn they gave me a pill, I read
a poem I had written about Marilyn Monroe which I liked;
then of for hours I was suspended in dreamless nothingness.
When I awoke I had lost the last trace of any religious beliefs.