Tony's run

 

Tony was born in ’25
did forty years as a lawyer
retired twenty years ago
in his own words
“filthy rich”
spent ten years after that
bay-hopping around the Pacific rim
in a great palace of a boat
then came home
to live close to his grand kids

you have to admit
that’s a pretty good run at living

last night
about four in the morning
he sat up out of his hospital bed
needing a shit
and holding onto his shits
has been a bit of a problem
which is how he came
to be in here

pressed the buzzer for the nurse
nothing happened
not a footstep for miles
pressed it again
and again
and again

I lay still
angry for him
could feel him getting desperate

time goes awful slow
when your bowels
are doing the talking

then he starts fucking with the machine he’s tethered too
doing it wrong
but determined not to shit himself again
coached him best I could
while tied to my own machines
“Tony
the orange cable
pull the orange cable”
like we were shutting down a bomb

got himself free
got himself up
got almost across the room
and then shit himself empty on the hard lino floor

stood there staring into nowhere
shit-stained and stinking
waiting for the nurse to come
to clean up

I lay quiet
let him have his silence
nothing to say
that would bring the man joy

he whispered into the darkness
not looking at me
“thanks mate
I nearly made it”

“no worries, Tony”

reached over my head
pressed the morphine button
and left Tony alone