The Dedication Of Evening Poem by Louise Marie DelSanto

The 3-11 shift, the nurse
arrives and thinks her mantra
her assignment in hand,
the taped report on pause,
the dedication of evening:

For all those lonely men
that wake up to another
day, all those seeking
refuge, walking the hospital
corridors in half opened gowns,
and pushing IV poles by their
sides like psuedo wives

All men being discharged from
their rooms, worried about going
home to nothing, and for the guy
that said, 'I can't wait to bust out
of this joint' as if it were a prison.

For each patient
being wheeled down to their
cars on their final day, their
insurance specifying the day.
The guy leaving with only socks
and hospital pajamas
not knowing when his cab was coming.