TRANSPLANT
Everyone tells me
I’m a lucky man,
blessed and fortunate
to have four willing donors.
And I know they’re right,
people wither away
waiting for kidneys
on endless lists
with no guarantees.
I’ve talked to doctors,
did extensive research
and came away convinced
it’s a highly successful
procedure. Everyone’s
encouraging, assuring me
it’s not nearly as bad
as last year’s open heart
surgery and my two friends
with transplants are both
alive and living normal lives.
Yes, I am so sick of dialysis
treatments, three times
a week for three and a half
hours a day with its sudden
blood pressure drops
and crippling cramps
that leave me hobbling
around like a slow motion
half dazed zombie who only
wants to sleep my life away
that I’d do almost anything.
My youngest brother proved
a perfect match. We’re looking
at July when his work slows down
and his wife’s school breaks
for summer so she can watch
their kids while he recovers.
There’s no way to thank him
and yes, I can hardly wait.
Except my mind keeps
filling up with thoughts
of something going wrong,
something bad happening
to him during the operation,
and then who will tell me
what to say to his wife,
to his kids, Daniel and Lexie.
About Tony Gloeggler: I am a life-long resident of New York City and have managed group homes for the mentally challenged for over 35 years. My work has appeared in Columbia Poetry Review, Rattle, The Examined Life Journal, Raleigh Review, New Ohio Review, Stirring and The NY Times. My full length books include One Wish Left (Pavement Saw Press 2002) and Until The Last Light Leaves (NYQ Books 2015) which focused on my job and the autistic son of a former girlfriend. My next book, What Kind Of Man, will be published by NYQ Books in 2019.
More By Tony Gloeggler
“Visitor’s Day at the Group Home”
Image Credit: Henry Gray “The Relation of the Kidneys from Behind” (1918) Public Domain
As It Ought To Be 
