8: 05am Thursday Poem by Phan Thanh gian

My eyes suddendly blurred,
That's all I could remember
All I could see next are bystanders
I'm looking up at them from the floor

How long have I been unconscious?
It could have been two minutes,
'Anyone can do CPR? ' I heard someone yelled
My god, I'm so embarrassed...

I picked up my plastic bag
Oh no, someone pulled the subway alarm!
I could hear the constant din,
My ears and eyes are throbbing

I'm so exhausted and confused
I would like a cup of hot coffee or tea
And I'm quite hungry
I wouldn't mind a hotdog

'Are you ok? ' a woman from the crowd asks
I nodded, but I must look awfully pale.
The woman helped me onto a chair.
I noticed I'm in my usual beige sweatshirt

It's in my favorite top since my grade ten
That was the last time that I was sort of happy.
I quit school and worked two jobs
My partner left me years ago

And my little son is no longer with me...