a reflection on my recent trip to the hospital.

i walked in on my own feet
of my own will albeit pressured
i spoke in short sentences
and a helpful man wrote things down 

i laid down shortly after arriving
with a terrible feeling in my gut
this was no ordinary day
spent passing the time in a playground

they examined me all around
and asked odd questions i couldnt answer
they seemed to think i could tell them
what they couldnt see for themselves
 
but after poking and prodding
they found very little to work with
and assigned me a cell alongside others
whose fate was no longer in their own hands
 
the first days there were a blur
creeping in and out of consciousness
seeing  people i recognized but couldnt place
or be sure were really there at all
 
before long i gained some clarity
and realized those close to me
were a frequent mirage in the afternoon
that dissipated before the night fell
 
and when it fell the halls were lonely
despite the friendly smiling faces
that floated about here and there
grabbing people and sticking things in them
 
when freed from the viper that fed me
i moved in slow motion down the corridor
taking in the scope of my surroundings
while searching for a possible escape 

each open door a tomb
with flickering lights emitting
rooms filled with breathing corpses
snuggled warm against their fevered chills
 
the vampires came at 5 am
for my sake they were kind
talking to me as they sucked my blood
reassuring me i would get better

and i did slowly recover
after being starved and dehydrated
deprived of strength by my tormentors
both internal and external 

now ive come home
where i couldnt be happier
or ever more grateful a person
for the sake of my ordeal