She did not match the data presented

in hospital speak to a crowd of learners.

It was not so much a lie

as it was a revealing – a tale.

The well and the ill are stories

told from all sides of a hospital bed

in space and time

not captured in code and computer screens.

So let the record so reflect

the hurt and the heart of

hands reaching

and healing

beyond the numbering of days.

Photography thanks to Nick Van Zanten