Narrative Matters: Poems By Patients And Consumers

Editor’s note: This spring, Health Affairs held its first ever poetry contest. Three winning poems were published in the journal. We’re also featuring some of our other favorites on the Blog throughout the month of October. You Are A Job You forget that you are someone’s job something they want to hurry away from a way to pay bills, daycare, college fees   You remember when your butt goes numb 45 minutes of hard plastic pressed in soft flesh You remember when supper comes late,   tea cup, empty, soup cold, or missing, no tater tots, no salad, no grapes each and every day, irksome things you cannot undo   When help disappears and pain is invisible though sniffed, scrubbed with disinfectant hand gels you learn to plan many moves ahead,   wrap requests in ribbons, create sequences, hoard packets of sugar, salt, pepper, dressings, call for help an hour before the ambulatory flee your immobile flesh for home. – Akua Lezli Hope   New Rule For Eating new rule for eating: eat everything with love love the dew on the furry stalks of tiny heirloom tomatoes the explosion of asparagus tips being snapped from the stalk the astringent intrusion of a carrot stick in the roof of your mouth the vivid lucidity of orange peel drying in the sun   resist all urges to quibble with salty celery spikes – nibble them tenderly do not fret over peppers – embrace them all   nuzzle edible flower petals hold melons in your hands, feel the aromatic, tender wei...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Elsewhere@ Health Affairs Narrative Matters Narrative Matters poetry patient experience Source Type: blogs