READY or NOT

About the Book

CPR in Progress

The call has come in
Those who do the most urgent work
Have called to say the words
That speak of the highest urgency
CPR in progress

Someone somewhere somehow has collapsed
While eating at the Golden Corral
They thought she was choking
But it was more than that, worse than that
The monitor said

And the system is pushed into action
To pull one back, trying to sneak across
Trying to cross the river
Wet already to the thighs
The siren screamed

They ride hot, tube in throat
Epi, atropine and compressions
And now and then, electricity
Not effective, even with feet in water
They wheeled her in

More of the same, not a lot
Can be offered to those
Who are this far into the water
To those so determined to cross
So, we let go

After silent prayers
And solemn talks with the family
The vain effort comes to an end
And we think, as we leave the room
We have no power here.

About the Author

D. Ken Patterson, M.D., has been practicing medicine for twenty-two years in family practice and the emergency room. From this vantage point, the experiences of life, death, pain, and physical decline have become an important part of his pilgrimage.