The Shut-In part I: HOMEBOUND TESTING

He sits, with his legs elevated, every single day
On a bed he's designed to meet his needs
Books to the left, notebooks and pens next to that
Prismacolor pencils abound, along with blank pictures that wait
To be filled in by his lonely imagination
To his right, a plethora of bottles with pills
Which he monitors with a calendar his mother has given to him
And at the foot of the bed, a special pillow to help his blood flow
So it makes a safe journey to his head.

A knock at the door means a tester is here
To lay him flat naked, and attach strange wires here and there
So that every one knows he's ok
But deep in his pain, he manages a smile
So the tester will go back where he came
And his friends will not worry, for he's managed that smile
And the day can go on just the same...........

Tony Taylor (Chicago)