Doctor Please

Doctor Please

(“But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, courteous, congenial, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and unpretentious.” James 3:17)

I leaned over to hope the source was evident
in the etchings scratched like question marks
on the tile at the foot of my chair.

He carried all my complaints, aches and pains
in the manila folder, tattered and dog-eared;
triplicate sheets with the back page barely legible,
history and templates, blood drawn from my arms and legs,
radio waves knocking around my brain,
and every answer to every test
that left no answer, gave me no rest.

I sat up to beg for a well-ordered friend who
had time (is $100 per hour enough) to stop talking
and put his hand on my head. I know he would feel nothing;

But I would.