Written for RDP, where leapingtoes asks us
to get creative with the words โcatalystโ.
Thanks, Toes! Hereโs my take.
Tag: Surgery
RDP Saturday: clutch
Written for RDP, where Punam asks
us to get creative with the word โclutchโ.
Thanks, Punam! Hereโs my take.
Say Goodbye To My Little Friend
Tomorrow Never Knows
Written for Sadjeโs What Do You See #303.
Some of you have read this, originally written
several years ago as I recounted a true story
about events experienced by me in the hospital
after surgery. The hallucinations were
very real and I remember every detail.
The Fundamental Things
Our gracious host, Rochelle, at Friday Fictioneers
asks us to use the photo below as inspiration
to write creatively in 100 words or less while
making every word count. This is my story.
As Days Grow Short
Written for dVerse Poets Haibun Monday where
the theme today is “equinox”. This is my haibun.

Itโs now one month post op. I have spent a lot of time looking out my bedroom window contemplating the healing transformation of my body and the seasonal metamorphosis as we gently slip from summer into autumn. I had been facing physical limitations as I aged; they have now been compounded by my back surgery. On bad days I curse myself for agreeing to this procedure but I know it was the right choice. Getting back on my feet is taking longer than I anticipated. Like the brittle tree branches that come with autumn, my bones are not what they once were. But now I have a chance to walk among the fallen crimson and golden leaves instead of simply watching them drop from the trees and for that Iโm grateful. I am better today than I was two weeks ago and in two more weeks Iโll be better than I am today. Itโs a process.
warm burnished tones of autumn
as days grow short
the earth prepares for new life
NARยฉ2024
This is โAutumn In New Yorkโ by Billie Holiday
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantโs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARยฉ2017-present.
Post Op: An Ovi Poem
Written for Ovi Poetry Challenge 65:
โExpectationsโ is our inspiration.
Authorโs Note: As most of you know, I had back surgery on August 22.
Recuperation is much tougher than I thought or expected. I have no idea
if Iโll ever be the same. What I do know is Iโm not as bad as I was
three weeks ago and in another three weeks Iโll be better than I am today.
Thanks, D, for helping me realize that. โก

One foot at a time
Try staying in a straight line
Itโs ok, youโre doing fine
But everything really hurts
You need to take it slow
You have nowhere to go
Practice walking to and fro
One leg then the other
I didnโt expect this pain
Please let me go home again
And Iโll never complain
Just suck it up and walk
My hopes were to high
Like a big pie in the sky
Now I just want to cry
Grow up and stop the nonsense
Youโre stronger than you think
Donโt make such a stink
Soon youโll be in the pink
You got this, girl
NARยฉ2024

From the movie A Hole In The Head, this is Frank Sinatra and the incredibly adorable Eddie Hodges singing โHigh Hopesโ.
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantโs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARยฉ2017-present.
From Where to Eternity*
Written for Weekend Writing Prompt #379 and
Weekly Prompts – The One-Day Prompt. In exactly
82 words and including the required words
“timepiece” and “one day”, here is my flash.

The Sopranos, Episode 2.09. A post-surgery Christopher Moltisanti frantically pumps his morphine drip.
Those were my thoughts at 4AM after waking up in agony; my 8-Hour Tylenol had worn off two hours early, alerting the pain timepiece in my brain.
Clearly the Tylenol isn’t cutting it, but due to federal guidelines and crackdowns, a doctor’s ability to prescribe necessary painkillers has been seriously restricted and people like me living in the US are getting screwed.
Maybe one day theyโll get it right.
NARยฉ2024
82 Words
*The Sopranos, Season 2, Episode 9
This is the opening theme for The Sopranos, โWoke Up This Morningโ, by Alabama 3.
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantโs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARยฉ2017-present.