In much the same way that Iowa,
I've heard, stands for Idiots Out Walking Around,
Or, alternatively, I Owe the World an Apology,
We half-brained residents of 8-A get up and go
Out walking around, on orders
When we can, and while we do so
We scope out each other's IV stands.
One bottle means neophyte, nothing
But a saline solution. I refused it,
I said, "Just tell me how much water to drink
And I'll drink it," and they said, "Okay, okay,"
So I was never a one-bottle guy. Anyway,
The more bottles you have hanging
from your IV stand
As you wheel it around, the more you are advertising
To the other wan Iowans that you are not only up and about
But that you are past chemo and benefiting from a hell of a lot of
Medications. Four, five, six, seven bottles are normal.
With even only a modest load of
bottles to flaunt,
We must walk deliberately so that the top-heavy
Multi-quart assemblage doesn't capsize. The bottles
Are mostly plastic, naturally, but some are glass,
And the glass ones contain dearly expensive chemicals,
And were they to topple over and
crash, it would imply
That maybe we should have just rested lissome in bed,
But for those of us up to it,
walking around with all hooks hung,
There is that shared thrill. All of us, the men
At least, have already done this, haven't we, cruising.
Macklin Smith, Transplant
Shaman Drum Books