The Ride Continues

I'm back....
It's still pretty crazy here, but my bro had the transplant and it was a success. The day before he had it and before we knew a liver would be available we received a text from the sis-in-law that the bro had a week to live. Two max. So when my sister and her HH arrived we decided to take a road trip to FL. In the meantime a liver arrived. Thank God. My understanding is there is a window of four hours to get the liver to the recipient. They flew it in by jet. The surgery was a success and each day has been an improvement. Thanks to all for the prayers and well wishes.

Since we were in Tampa on my birthday, the carnivores kindly took me to a seafood restaurant. Lucky for me they had a pasta dish. Heh.

AND...
We had celebrated birthdays the night before we left for Florida.

We are still riding the rollercoaster with the baby. His parents have gotten several different opinions and at present most hospital teams that have weighed in feel he needs surgery then chemo.

AND...
A little poetry from the HH.

Mean Streets at Ten Years Old

M J Cox

I Step out the front door and down the concreate steps

Into the summer brightness. Turning right

Would be a big mistake. That only leads to the old brick grade school.

Way too many hours spent there already.

So left it is as the old deaf guy across the street

Yells something unintelligible at the TV. 

Don’t know why the volume is turned so high.

He can’t hear it anyway.  

No time to fool around.  That weird lady

In the house covered in shrubs may let her

Doberman out.  He’ll come roaring across the street

Like a winged lizard, smoke streaks in his wake.

In the middle of the next block

Dicky’s house is on the left. 

Always trying to be a bad ass.

Just doesn’t work for him though.

Across the street is Doug’s house

He was a close friend until he wasn’t.

Not a good time to be at his house,

His dad being off the beer right now.

                                        
                                     A few houses down, there’s a boy

                                             In residence. Seldom seen and never heard,

                                             He’s more a rumor or a wraith.  The lawn is

                                             Perfect though, every blade of grass uniformly green.


                                             Next corner and a left turn will lead

To Bill’s house.  He was always a good guy

Till Viet Nam messed with his mind.

He’s in Nevada still getting past it.

                                             Turn right to Merle’s house

                                              He always played it too cool,

                                             Like he had something to prove.

                                             Two older brothers will do that apparently.



                                             The next corner is Decatur street. Further down

Are Just a few faceless houses straddling the street

like broken picket fences. At the end

Is the brick home for boys where the ones from problem families go.

                             

                                             There is a steel tube three feet wide

                                             That runs on a diagonal down the street

                                             Side wall, a fire escape that looks like

                                             It’s daring anyone to try it.



                                             On my streets we’re all a little nervous

                                             As if on some apocalyptic day

                                             A great tide will sweep us all down the asphalt

                                             Into that foreboding house of lost souls. 

So what's been going on while I've been gone? Do you write poetry? Are you a Capricorn baby?