Doctor Night

by Paul - Libra


My sleep
a sickly child,
white-faced, fevered,
unable to keep the covers on.

Night
the physician
at my bedside,
black bag open
but he uses no instrument
except his light hands 
to examine my condition;

touching hot skin,
agitated limbs,
lifting an eyelid,
gently prising open the mouth-rim
to see the sticky tongue
and the throat’s arch;

reaching within to feel
the beat of madness;
the pulse 
in the vein of dreams.

A little too fast;
a little too strong,

counted against the long 
sane hours 
of the clock.

He divulges nothing to me
but confers in whispers
to the trees at the window.

There is no medicine,
no treatment
for the disease of human time
except their magic.
Birth sign: Libra
Date created: 2000-09-17 18:27:17
Last updated: 2021-03-03 14:42:43
Poem ID: 57589

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