Istanbul, I am almost there

But then a sudden stroke

Puts me into Intensive Care

Unable to leave my bed ever again, I heard

Only 50 years old

Isn’t this life absurd?

Relatives, doctors and machines, all have their say

However I sometimes wonder

‘Could there be another way?’

I cannot find sleep at night

Dear guardian angels

I thought you would be forever by my side

No doctors who speak Turkish, nobody I can understand

Except that one nurse

Who daily holds my hand

Nodding my head, pointing my fingers

I wish I were able

To speak fluent English

Cheerful in front of my family

Yet feelings of desperation

Are now a vast part of my inner reality

Seeking distraction in writing

But only for a while

Why did life become so very frightening?