Now

Now


He can't control his movements; the face twitching, head turning,
Eyes blinking, lips pursing; he spits out his words like gunfire
"Used to milk cows on my farm. Warm milk, good cows.
Could drink the milk of seven cows in one sitting!"

I try to imagine what his life is like living in the hospital
No green pastures rolling into one another
No hay sparkling, heavy with dew
The soft breath of calves absent from his mornings

How tiresome life must be; fighting each involuntary grimace
Held in checkmate by an unbeatable opponent
His orchestra of foreign sounds causing even the strongest among us
To sometimes avert our eyes