Love Poem: One Night's Passing
E. Pearl Anderson Avatar
Written by: E. Pearl Anderson

One Night's Passing

Caregiving “One Sided” at times
Especially at bedtime
Early and late seem to mean same
Considering one’s mind frame
In this scenario W is wife
H is husband and for life

W – “It’s eleven; time for bed and sleep”
Wife goes to bed without a peep
W – “Why are you still up? It’s one a.m.
        Now, go to bed; I am

W – Out of darkness “Oh, my head hurts”
       Throb, throb - ”Oh, my head hurts…” 

Trying to get her bearings stable
Lying on floor under table
Next to pedestal leg that night
And cooking stove on right
Throb, throb – “Oh my head hurts” repeated
W – “How do I get the “get up+ completed?”	

To the left sat a shoe so tranquil
His shoe with his foot sitting so still
W – Calling his name. as throbbing was continuously
“Why didn’t you catch me?”
H – “It was too fast!”
Movement in his foot never passed

Like a puppy dog guarding the prey
He sat firm lest wife would get away
W – “You need to move so I can get up.
Get up please, so I can get up”
He moved without offering to help 
Wife with throbbing head did self-help
               
W – “Did you call for assistance?”
H  -- “I didn’t know how’ with insistence
At three am, it was to bed
He was tired and she had bump on head
A one-sided caregiving experience and
A protective co-existence