Hospital Whispers

by Mona Lisa Safai

When I seven-years-old, I tagged along with my mother to see her patients in the hospital. One patient, a little girl, slept quietly in her room. When we walked out, my mother whispered that she had a disease that didn’t let her grow anymore. Usually, I went to the conference room and drew pictures of people with smiley faces on the chalkboard. This time, in waiting room, I stared at my feet. Why wouldn’t my feet touch the ground?

6S

Mona Lisa Safai is a writer, poet, and book reviewer in San Francisco. Published pieces include “The Unknown Rose," “The Unquiet Funeral," “Restless Senses," and poems in the Poets11 anthology. Several book reviews can be found in The Midwest Book Review, Northeast Book Review Books, TCM Reviews, and Diverse Books. She is also a contributing writer at the online journal Suite101.com.