Waking nightmare
Dr Ranbir Laishram *
Away from home,
Away from loved ones,
Destined to be isolated in the ICU,
Only with gadgets,
And sounds of the monitors,
Consciousness blurred slowly,
Hanging between life and death,
Earnestly struggling for life,
I am facing a reality in Covid-19 era.
Only yesterday,
I was with you all,
Sitting, chatting and
Partaking dinner happily, Enjoying with my loved ones,
Under their love and care.
Today I am untouchable !
You have abandoned me,
You are scared of me.
I am contaminated,
Bit by bit, being torn apart by the contagion,
Care givers are scared of me,
I am left to myself,
My woes ever heightening,
No one to talk to,
You know my plight in the ICU.
I feel scared, lost, and alone,
Thinking I'm a different human being now,
However I am the same,
Like you all
In need of care and support of my love ones.
Their visits in the ICU being restricted,
Horrifying, violent hallucinations haunt me,
On the verge of insanity,
Family members are not simple visitors:
Banning them is not the solution,
To avoid traumatic experiences,
Urgent call for patient- family-centered guidelines,v
To save me from this horrendous loneliness!
* Poem written by Dr Ranbir Laishram for The Sangai Express
This poem was webcasted on 25 June 2021.
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