my doctor Claude Rains

after

about five phone calls

trying

to get a hold of

my doctor

a nurse comes on the phone

and asks

what's wrong.

i go through the list

of ailments

and allergic

reactions to medicine,

headaches

and frequent

trips to the bathroom.

oh, i'm sorry

you're not feeling well, but

the doctor isn't in today,

or tomorrow,

or for the next

three weeks.

and yet i can hear him

in the background,

whispering to the nurse,

tell him,

i'm in another

country. he says,

tell him i'm in Hong Kong.

sir, are you still there?

he'll contact you

when he's back in the country,

but if you feel

like you might die,

please dial

911.