The phone rings
Jarred awake
By a breathless medical resident
The cat jumps down
Scrabbling across the
Bare floor
There was a code blue
On your patient
He coded?
Yes, he coded
Ask a thoughtful question:
He coded?
Yes, he coded
But we got him back
Thank God for that
Glowing eyes
In the hallway
The cat sits, waiting expectantly
You said, always call
Even when
There is nothing left to do
I wonder why
A historical imperative perhaps
Passed down through the ages
That the doctor should be called
The cat has gone
I say
Thanks and
Good night
My secret
Which I do not share:
Once woken, I will not
Sleep again.
Footnotes
This poem placed first in the poetry category of The 2015 Humanities Poetry and Prose Contest, jointly sponsored by ARS Medica and CMAJ.