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.
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?
