An Ode to a 24hr Blood Pressure Monitor (Poem 24.5.21)
Regular as a clockwork balloon,
The huff-puffing signifier of health,
Fitted by surprise, on a Monday afternoon,
Beeps away with no pretention of stealth,
All to prove a point we already know.
Not like there was any choice in the matter…
Irregularities in my own ticking cocoon,
Belie an unseen hand chipping away,
Dancing along to her own mad tune,
Silently plotting (clotting?!) day on day,
While tomorrow’s rhythm remains a mystery.
Rolling with a fait accompli accompaniment…
Set by the Watchmaker, in flesh was hewn,
Magnificent singularities of mortal coil,
That fight, by sun and star and moon,
Inevitability, routine, the endless toil,
Always and on until there are no more.
It would have been nice to have a warning…
Commentary
One of the challenges I have been facing in 2021 is the discovery that my blood pressure has been dangerously high for quite some time. This poem was written out of frustration and annoyance when I was fitted with a 24hr blood pressure monitor without any prior notice. I received a letter inviting me for an echocardiogram that turned out to be something else completely. I was rather miffed. However, after a series of tests etc. I have finally figured out what’s what and am on a treatment plan, which is great. Much unlike the damned monitor on my arm when I wrote this piece!
AHF Writes 