What If They Cared A Little?

Written by Elizabeth Opiyo
A poem on Poor healthcare

A beautiful Saturday morning

Seems like the moon has true love for the sun

That he has sacrificed his life to let her shine

Under the blazing hot flares of the sun I bask

Wondering why we could never afford medication for mum and dad

This confounding question really makes me emotional

Stopping me from overlooking the beauty of the sun

And I run into our small creaky hut;

Daddy is down, silent and long gone

I run to the shade confused

Mummy is out, silent, a life she doesn’t own,

I stare with rage, my confused desolation;

My lost concern, my new life in isolation;

I am between the distances, tied to space;

So now I remember, their sickness had earned a pace;

That mad doctor, that cruel nurse;

Or maybe it’s the hospital, maybe not their fault?

But what if they cared a little?

What if they showed a little compassion?

What if they saved the time?

Time wasted on the queue, time to diagnose;

What if that day, they could treat before pay?

And paid more attention, just a little for the theater;

But they were adamant when it all started,

Cut them profusely and never startled,

I needed it, but I needed them too;

The transplants, the imprints of their love;

But they faced the monster, and risked it all for me,

So today I am gone, lonely in decision,

And I’m still scared of those cruel monsters

Who call themselves nurses but instead of nursing,

They are cursing and shouting at their patients;

Killing even the little hope they have left.

I know that there are some with wondrously beautiful hearts,

But such are rare to find.

Sometimes I feel like shutting my memories forever

So that I may never remember

These facts, the fact that I live in a country,

Where I cannot afford healthcare

Where I cannot afford the therapies for my cancer,

The pills and the medicine without well wishers

The fact that these health givers,

 Will still treat me as if I’m a drain,

No matter my pain;

No matter my dying condition,

And even that innocent child,

 Will never know their kindness

Even at the last minute of their life.

I wish you could feel this pain like I do,

Then you could recollect your compassion,

That caring heart that you spare for your loved ones

And assure me that everything will be fine,

Instead of staring at your watch,

Counting on the hours I have left on this bed,

The hours I have left in this world.