poem 6 : Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, 6.15 p.m.

i hate it
who likes the stench of dried spit ?
the stuffy air of ageing wards
the stares of the old pitifuls
eyes blank as lost memories.

but can't leave Mother
she lays helpless on that bed
the stroke was that horrendous
have to change her sheets
bits of rice still sticks to it
the attendants are so careless

she smiles when i came
there can be joy at such places
strength in advesity
light in darkness
i hold her frail hands
smiling my plastic smile
the grief in my heart
all bottled up
seeing her wasting, bones & all
like that peeling paint on the wall

who likes the stench of dried pee?
not you, not me.

--- 1998 ---
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Notes: My mother, who suffered a stroke, was bedridden and lived at the Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital for over ten years.. It wasn't exactly a top-notch hospital, but the facilities are adequate and the staff caring and kind.. Lack of funds in maintaining the place makes it look a bit neglected, but the folks are coping.