Doctors

a couple of hours of sleep
and onto the ferry from sicily to italy
then an 8 hour drive to bari

…starting to sound
like a broken record?

when you’ve gotten 4 hours
of sleep in 48 hours
then you know
you’re on tour

i went to the bow
of the ferry to see
the sights but could not
enjoy it because of
exhaustion

that kind of exhaustion
feels like being
hungover
no opportunity to
experience what life
has to offer
all beauty is erased

because the van is tiny
i have taken to sleeping on the floor
it is the only way i will be able
to actually have the experience
of sleeping

it works
i am able to sleep
my ribs and hips
are taking every bump
in the road
but i am so tired
i don’t care

i wake to the van stopping
we have been driving along
the ocean and stop at a beach
in roseto to take a rest from
hours of being in a sweltering
metal cage

there is a ruin of a castle
on this beach
turquoise sea
large pebbles softened by the tides
very very salty warm water
just gorgeous
i am beginning to feel
a little bit more like myself

as we continue,
olive trees everywhere
that silvery confetti-like leaf
those ghost-like trunks

we begin to pass many medieval spires
made of stone and i find out
that they are called trulli (spelling?)
and that they are made with no
water at all -only stones
stacked on top of each other-
architectural genius

apparently, bari is the place where
you find these trulli

i like bari already

the venue is gorgeous
and the show is packed
packed with wonderful kind
people

during one of our last songs,
forever and a year,
a song about life and death
and the delicate skin between
the two,
out of nowhere
i felt a presence directly behind me
i thought it was a ghost
i kept singing
and then the ghost laid
it’s hands on my shoulders
and whispered to me
that there had been an
emergency and we should stop
someone was having an
epileptic fit and was calling
for a doctor

the stage manager got on the mic
and alerted the crowd
that a doctor was needed
immediately

four people stood up within
the throng and rushed to the
side of the stage

we started the song again
and then the ambulance came
along the street to our right
it’s siren was in
perfect pitch with the song

the song ended and was told
from the sidestage that the person
had safely gotten into the ambulance

after the show
a young woman approached me
and introduced me to her mother
and told me i had made her cry
the mom wanted a hug
and i was so glad i was able
to give that woman a hug
she really knew how to hug
and i bet i needed one
even more than she did.

and as a post script-
I AM SO GLAD
FOR COUNTLESS REASONS
THAT DOCTORS ATTEND
JAPW SHOWS!

now
good
night!!!