every man’s socks look dingier under the fluorescent E-R lights. the nurse
wears false eyelashes on the midnight shift; they ask why i’m here.
her pulled-out tee shows tops of oranged cleavage we pretend to not
see. there is urine under your bed when they roll you away, but not yours.
the stain clashes well with the grey-green tile, just the color of stale love.
the nurse, eyes on the desk now, is talking about another patient.
“suicidal.” “schizophrenic.” i can hear her calling from here.
the tenth muse 
Wow. The seemingly disparate images add up to a scene of great sadness and despair. I’ve been there, where the protagonist is. Excellent, lady.
Thanks, Mosk! What can I say? Hospitals have always been a great source of inspiration for me.
oh my…yeah the ER, esp on a friday night is not the place to be…used to have to be there often for work…and it can be a rather scary…and unsanitary place…
be good joanna…smiles…
Yeah, it can definitely be an alarming place, full of strange juxtapositions and emotions and intimacies.
“Be good”? I thought you knew me better than that, Brian… *smiles*
Terrific, snappy and evocative writing – you have a great style for an exciting novel I think, if you can sustain the quality.Especially liked:”just the colour of stale love…” exceptional… With Best Wishes Scott http://www.scotthastie.com
a novel, eh? most interesting… (Thanks, Scott!)
A most interesting snapshot in time…conveying much of about the ER experience.
Thanks… it was an interesting experience.
When taking in moments of others’ lives, it’s amazing what we learn and observe. I love the reality you share in this piece.
Isn’t it, though? Thanks for reading! 🙂
Wow and pow…!! Excellent. Just excellent
Thanks, J! 🙂
Gritty humanity . . . deftly painted. Stark. I am affected. The place lingers.
Cheers!
stark and powerful, I can feel the panic of being left behind there.
Excellent observations of the starkness of life in ER when often, we are at our most vulnerable…
Anna :o]
no fun place…the ER in the middle of the night…you made me smell it…the urine…ugh… love the details like the false eyelashes…isn’t it weird what details the mind focuses on in such moments…
Scary..my son works in the ER…tough. Hope you are well, Joanna. Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year.
Stale love…Can’t get any worse than that,
It probably can… Thanks for reading!
The conflicting and disparate images contribute in creating a solemn environment… and they involves the reader to see and feel things as they generally are in the ER. Great writing.
Thank you.