A New Normal

 

Baby fine hair recently dyed red,

strands cut sharply at her chin,

not a single white one sneaks through,

tangles in the back congregate where her head laid against a hospital pillow all day.

Her eyes closed; finally,

resting peacefully,

curtain pulled all the way around her bed,

offering a layer of insulation from

busy voices in the hall.

A bench in the window,

I figure out how to turn off the light,

I stretch my legs out, lean back, and close my eyes tight