She enters with
her days numbered
And a
question irrelevant.
The last
drop of conversation deterred;
The payroll
room a deaf warrant,
As her colleague
now faces her in expectance.
“How do I go
about claiming my hospital bill?”
She finally enquires,
in
A smooth,
even tone which trails
Reality much
founded upon
Numbered paper
as an entity.
“Eighty-five
percent paid by employer,
Depending on
your scheme.
Cash,
Medisave, Insurance;
Payment
choice for you to pick.
Settle the
bill, make no blunders;
Then your
invoice awaits our clearance.
But wait a
second, may I know
The purpose
of this visit?”
An abrupt
shot, a clean hit
Into the
compounds of privacy
Justified by
what her duty
Deems fit.
She answers,
“Surgery”.
Then the
walls echo politely,
“What
pre-existing ailments do you have?”
The sunlight
prickles
Droplets on
the frosted windows
Overlooking
the rushing masses
Of soulless vehicles
in search
For the wake
of a forgotten dream.
She swallows
the conditioned air
Of grief,
and embarrassment;
As if a
chilled fire burns her
In contempt
Of fate’s
heavy hand.
“Cancer.”
She answers.
Then all hold still.
The human
machine wired
By the establishment
ignores
And details
a formulated answer
That “the
hospital would know how to charge”,
Directing her
to an endless procedure
Of lifelong
learning.
The bill
incurred whether or not guilty;
She bids her
farewell
To her
colleague--
One whose basic
humanity
Fails to
occupy one’s occupation.
Undeniable
it was,
The piling
numbers added to a
Pain, not
due to health forgone,
But possibly
to the survivors of her
Memory. A
claim draws testament
To a life
measured. Eighty-five
Percent worth
saving. Or more,
For she unearths
a rooted courage
To free
others from practical strains
In spite of time
ticking at heartbeats.
If only this
could be credited in her account.
Perhaps weakness
rallies
One’s
nature, then states
It clean for
judgment.
Perhaps a
truer life led hides
Freed from
predictable wonder
Of the
clockwork in traffic
Lights
below.
Constance in
variants, much like how
The
double-beep electronic lock clicks
The door
shut with questions,
Leaving
silence.
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