Blankness

You stare at the laundry,
touch the walls,
smell your sleeves, pass
your fingers through your
hair, and squint your eyes to
see it became grey.

You try to get up,
but your knees don't want to.
You feel your bones
and the weakness of your skin
startles you.

A girl dressed in white comes in,
holding your breakfast. She
approaches you with a smile.
"Good morning, Lina."
You're not even thinking about
who she is. You ask:
"Where's Kamel?"
The nurse answered
that he'll visit tomorrow.

Kamel, your favorite
grandkid just disappeared,
his kidnappers didn't even ask
for a ransom. But she
can't tell you that. Nobody can.

You look through the window,
and the buildings look
strange to you, the street is
crowded with people you can't
recognize.
You lay your head on the pillows,
and begin with the tart. Then
the boiled egg, then the cheese.

You finish your meal, the nurse
wipes your mouth with a napkin
and gives you a few pills
and a glass of water.

You see the photo of your husband
on the nightstand, and it
all suddenly makes sense. You're
at home, you like this nurse,
she's nicer than the one before her.
The buildings outside
become familiar. Tart is the best
part of your day.

You swallow the pills, hold
the nurse's hand with your ever
shaking hands,
and wait for Kamel to
come back home.