he said “around these parts…” as he laid a hand upon a thigh
“life’s so dumb, dull and low that you’ve got to try harder to get higher”

i stood in the firing line with my blindfold, arms behind
if you shoot, aim for the leg,
and i’ll teach you how to beg me

i get the sweetest sensations when i’m powerless
but despite myself, there are times when i have felt
“i’m not in the mood for any of this.
these scots west-coast delta blues give me the hump.”

i’m nude in the firing line with my blindfold, arms behind
if you shoot me in the leg, i’ll teach you how to fake prescriptions
look below the slabs and underneath the crabs…
my therapist has the rapist’s heart

these scots west-coast delta blues
give me the hump-backed bells of hell,
so shut up, your time is up

time’s up, shut up
time is up
time’s up, shut up
time is up
time’s up, shut up
good-bye i’ll see you later on
tick tock, running over
good-bye now i’ll see you later on
tick tock, working all night
time’s up, shut up
time is up
bye bye see you later on
time is up
bye bye see you later on
time is up
“1,2,3 waking up
4,5,6 waking up
7,8 open your eyes
9, 10 wide awake, wide wake, fully wide awake”

Sixteen years ago, right about this time, I was putting my first chest tube into the left hemithorax of a neonate 7 days s/p an arterial switch at NEMC who had suffered bilateral tension pneumothoraces and was blue when I arrived. (The chief surgical resident was putting one into the right hemithorax; I was following his lead).

It was easily the most frightening moment of my life.

Sixteen years ago tomorrow (around 28 hours from now), I met Peter Michael Burke (my first son) for the first time.

It was easily the happiest moment of my life.

Pretty intense 48 hours.....

Happy Birthday, Pete.