CAREGIVERS

They come in shifts, one by one,  to care for my husband--

to bathe him, to dress him, to shower him too,

to feed him, to read to him, to talk to him, and to care for him

to take him to the park, and sometimes to shop.

to put him to bed, and put him to sleep,

to massage him, and read to him, and listen to him.

They take him on trips downtown to the city,

to houses of friends, to meetings and meet-ups,

even on cruises with family too.

They take him to the clinic, to the dentist, to pt and ot,

and call for help whenever it's needed,

shift after shift after shift after shift,

 I used to be a doctor in a hospital far from home

till I retired for good, and now the hospital is home

and I am the director of all of the shifts,

while I watch my husband get weaker and weaker,

and lose his ability to walk and to speak.

Still loving the once vigorous man

now dependent on nurses

who care give, and give care.

I am a retired physician with PD and also a caregiver to my husband with COVID-induced late-stage neuropathy.