Once, on the Oncology Floor
A teenager asked
if he’d ever drive again.
No one knew what to say.
So I showed him
how to press the nurse call button
like it was an ignition switch.
He laughed,
and for a minute,
the hallway turned
into an open road.
That night
I dreamed of him
parallel parking
between stars.
I woke with the memory
of his hand
gripping the rail
as if it were
a steering wheel.
*
In the Absence of Fever
When you said
she was stable,
I nodded.
But my hands
stayed clenched
as if the storm
was only
paused.
We celebrated
with applesauce
and the hum
of an IV pump.
I told her
she looked strong
when what I meant was
please stay.
I never asked
how long she had
before the numbers slipped again.
There are days
when stability
is the most fragile thing
in the room.
*
Veronica Tucker is an emergency medicine and addiction medicine physician, as well as a mother of three. Her work appears in redrosethorns, Red Eft Review, and Medmic, with additional pieces forthcoming. Find her at www.veronicatuckerwrites.com or on Instagram @veronicatuckerwrites.
Congratulations, Veronica. These are both beautiful. aching poems. You are so talented.
Wondrous poems: they hold a purity that helps cleanse my mind and heart. Thank you.
These poems accomplish so much in such a short time. Great work.
Such tender poems. ❤️❤️❤️
Very touching, honest poems.
Beautiful, and just right in simplicity and eloquence!
Both beautiful and just about right length poems, congratulations to Veronica
Wow – so deft and touching. The last line of In the Absence of Fever really got to me. So relatable and well-put.