Abstract
I’ve been in this bed 24/7,
day and night.
I gave up smoking,
going outside,
my freedom.
I know I have to put in the work
of laying in this bed
Here in hospital lockdown,
solitary confinement.
But trust me,
my health is my concern.
I'm a hundred percent all in
on helping you,
help me.
Things that have happened in my life
look different from
what's happened in yours.
Even though I'm homeless,
I'm still a man
and deserve your respect.
My life is not a waste.
So, to my doctors…
Give me both sides of the coin.
Instead of painting only the dark and the damned,
tell me the truth with gentle concern.
Instead of a calloused explanation,
show me some sensitivity.
Sure,
I could die.
But if I do some things right,
it only gets better from here.
Footnotes
Acknowledgment
This found poem comes from a qualitative study exploring communication between older adults with serious illness experiencing homelessness and their health care providers. These data come from a qualitative interview with a 53-year-old man who is paraplegic and currently hospitalized for severe sacral wounds requiring wound vac. Before this hospitalization, he had been living in his van. Created from the verbatim transcripts of this one participant, the poem presented here highlights the importance of humanistic practice when working with vulnerable patients, like those who are experiencing serious illness and homelessness.
Funding Information
This research is funded by The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation.