Operation Poem by Juan Olivarez

The ordeal was very long.
Your constant companion was pain.
So when you opened your eyes,
On that guerney in Arrowhead,
And asked me,
'Is it over? '
I with tears in my eyes replied,
'Si mi amor, It's all over.'
I kissed your forehead then,
And told you to get some sleep,
And to rest.
The nurses came then,
And moved you to your bed.
I walked to the chair,
By the window.
And with tears in my eyes,
And with a grateful heart,
I collapsed in that chair.
And my eyes looked,
Over the tops of the pepper trees,
Towards Los Angeles,
Fifty miles to the south.
She slept soundly,
For the first time,
Oh Dear God,
In so many years.
Sometime later, I slept too,
In that chair,
On the third floor,
My eyes must have closed,
While I was looking,
Towards the south,
Looking for the angels,
That I knew must reside,
In their namesake city.


10/20/10 Alton Texas