“Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a perceptual condition in which the presentation of particular audio-visual stimuli triggers intense, pleasurable tingling sensations in the head and neck regions, which may spread to the periphery of the body1”

Rustled paper unfolds, crinkling like an glass vial underfoot.

A soft palm flattens curves of cotton sheets,

smooths lotion into her chapped, still hands.

Dextrose whispers escape; salinated eye drops suspend and splash.

A red plastic comb tames an unforgiving raven bouffant.

A metallic bite clips with a satisfying snap through fingernails.

Machines whir and drone in monotone,

Pumps heave and sigh in bloated bursts.

The ventilator’s whooshes

pulse with sinuous waves.

Regularly irregular beeps everywhere.

Flashing numbers ticking up and down,

up and down, moving target?

Pressures: blood, cerebral, ulcers, positive end expiratory.

The steady drip of an IV

spring rain water torture

pianissimo staccato on a tin roof

Beads of condensation coalesce from labored breathing, gathering on

ridged endotracheal tubes

translucent face shields, opaque with fog

A blue-gloved hand holds hers in comfort, easing

the pain of a turn for the worse.

Sterile encouragement.

Echoes once absorbed by family and friends at bedside ricochet into

the germ-free, visitor-free, careful, care-filled COVID unit

The sights and sounds of the intensive unction

administered in hopes of salvation

in isolation

during COVID19.