LINDA HUTSELL-MANNING

Quadruple Bypass Aftermath
for Mary Lou

as spring seeps into winter days
hyacinths & daffodils emerge from earth’s
dark dreary hours in spite of fickle March
mercurial from sun to snow & frost
your strength lies waiting buried
underneath pain’s antiseptic smell
muted by that intravenous drip
your horizontal frame of reference
sorts out footsteps tones of voice
murky hours sifting into days of
straws with stove pipe curves
your strength with amaryllis optimism
watches coiled inside slow waking
to an unexpected upright pull
a firecracker dazzle that prepares you
for the moment when you know
you will survive