In a few hours, I will have my gall bladder removed. As I ponder this, it feels right to take a moment and pay homage to a trusty organ who is no longer trustworthy.
I warn you, have a tissue nearby.
Ode to a Gall Bladder
a poem by Robbie Iobst
Of late, this pear-shaped organ has given me so much pain,
But after today I tell you, never again.
For years it's faithfully been my storage locker of bile,
But now it holds only stones; this is not its style.
So it's time to say good-bye to my little friend of 45 years,
But there will be no bon voyage party, no toasts, no tears.
Next week when its somewhere in a lab, sitting on a petri dish,
I will have moved on, to a restaurant that serves fish.
So let's just part quickly without a scene and with no hugs,
In fact, let's just hope and pray the hospital gives good drugs.
Ode to a Gall Bladder
A poem by Robbie Iobst
Feel free to memorize this and recite as led.
It is, after all, a lot less words than The Highwayman.
