I Brought Flowers to the Stroke Ward by Fern G. Z. Carr

POEM NAME: I Brought Flowers to the Stroke Ward AUTHOR NAME: Fern G.Z. Carr POEM: but didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to; just showed up with a bloomin’ bouquet – glorious petals in their glory glory morning glory mourning glory in her glory before she had her shtro…chhhkk…uh before she wasted away into a garden gnome held tilted downward sitting immobile in an off-limits hospital bed limited visitors – visiteurs sans fleurs no scents stimulating or exciting an already overstimulated overexcited bleeding brain I wasn’t supposed to bring flowers to the stroke ward but I didn’t know. I didn’t know. END OF POEM. CREDITS: Copyright © Fern G.Z. Carr Previously published in Petals in the Pan (Kind of a Hurricane Press, 2015) and Shards of Crystal (Silver Bow Publishing, 2018). FERN G. Z. CARR is a former lawyer, teacher and past President of both the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Kelowna branch, and Project Literacy Central Okanagan Society. She composes and translates poetry in six languages including Mandarin. Her poetry collection is entitled Shards of Crystal (Silver Bow Publishing, 2018). Carr has been published extensively worldwide from Finland to Mauritius and has had her work recognized by the Parliamentary Poet Laureate. The recipient of several honours, Carr’s ultimate honour is having one of her poems in permanent orbit around the planet Mars aboard NASA’S MAVEN spacecraft. www.ferngzcarr.com