Enveloped by white fluorescent light

And numbed by the hum of motor and machine

Vision tunnels

And fatigue masquerading as tranquility

Soothes the soul

And in the midst of birth and life

And death and dying

Football

And the screams of Hollywood

Take leave of the old and welcome the new

The smells of sterility

And stool

And plastic

And flesh

Identify the familiar place of sickness and healing

There are tears and moans

Shouts and silence

Demandings and denials

Requests and refusals

Suspicion and faith

And those lying prone

Unable or unwilling or undone

And those who are moving

Tired or concerned or uncertain or blind

Churn in this scrum of humanity