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I Turned My Foot
by Ken HarnischI turned my foot the other day
Coming from the door of
My mistress’s house, going
Out to the car, and stumbling on the
Varnished flagstones her husband had laid
The Saturday before
Unbeknownst to me
I limped away, to the First Med
Center where they confirmed
I was covered by some form
Of insurance before taking me in
A room and X-raying my ankle
And then an olive-faced young man
Who called himself Dr. Chimuratti
Told me I had bruised the bone,
Nothing more, but just to be sure
I should stay off it for a time.
My mistress was all apologies
And sent me flowers via
That 800 number service
And an Asian man came to the door
In the rain and handed me the roses,
Then waited, and waited, until I saw the light
And reached in my pocket for a bill
Which I hoped was a one, but the
Image on the front was not Washington
And I died.
My ankle throbbed for days, and I did
Not walk on it, or move, or do
Anything but read T.S. Eliot
And I think I finally got “The Love Song of
J. Alfred Prufrock,” which goes to show
That if you put enough time and energy into a thing
You can accomplish much, but still,
All I wanted to do was ambulate
And when the day finally came
That I could walk and drive again
The first thing I did
Was buy gas at the nearby BP
And while I was pumping Premium at number 17
I chanced to look up and saw
My mistress with
A younger man, one with shorts
And a torn tank top, and pleated socks
And nary a bump or bulge on
His legs, and she just smiled
When I waved and the two of them
Drove off to Nirvana, and chasing after them
To curse at her, wouldn’t you know?
I turned my foot again. 03/05/2007 Author's Note: A whimsical fantasy about unintended consequences
Posted on 03/05/2007
Copyright © 2025 Ken Harnisch
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Kathleen Wilson on 03/05/07 at 09:06 PM Whimsical indeed and who else could make such an engrossing read on a turned ankle. The rose centerpiece is hilarious, and the Eliot perfect in there. And I always thought fantasies were hard to realize... well, maybe good ones are harder...good story! |
| Posted by Paganini Jones on 03/14/07 at 08:56 PM Surely really another American Portrait?? A whimsical story which made me smile. |
| Posted by Kate Demeree on 04/15/07 at 02:32 PM *grinning ear to ear*..... perhaps it is best to look before you leap? |
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