Louis Esterhuizen. Om ‘n hartaanval poëties te oorleef
Friday, August 31st, 2012
Nou ja, kyk. Die heldeverering wat glanspersoonlike in bepaalde geledere van die Amerikaanse samelewing geniet, is welbekend. Maar wanneer een van dié persoonlikhede ‘n onverwagse hartaanval oorleef, en dan boonop ‘n gedig daaroor skryf, trek dit aandag.
So beland ek via ‘n berig op The Los Angeles Times op Rosie O’Donnell se weblog waar sy presies dít doen. Volgens LA Times se beriggewer het die hulpvaardige O’Donnell enkele weke gelede ‘n gewigtige dame gehelp om uit haar motor te klim, met bykans tragiese gevolge vir haar: “What began as an act of kindness ended in the insertion of a stent, after doctors discovered a 99% blocked artery in O’Donnell’s heart. An ‘enormous’ woman Rosie spotted in a Nyack, N.Y., parking lot had asked for help getting out of her car last Tuesday. O’Donnell obliged, writing in her free-form blog style, ‘it was not easy but together we did it she was up and on her way with gratitude’.”
Kort hierna het sy die tipiese simptome vir ‘n hartaanval ontwikkel, maar eers die volgende dag – na sy die simptome vir ‘n hartaanval gegoegeloer het! – na ‘n kardioloog gegaan wat na bepaalde toetse ‘n hartaanval gediagnoseer het.
En toe skryf Rosie O’Donnel haar gedig.
En (ten tye van hierdie skrywe) volg daar nie minder nie as 536 kommentare op dié poging van haar; nie almal vriendelik nie, bygesê. Ene NRA for LIFE het byvoorbeeld die volgende bydrae gelewer: “Too bad you didnt die you fat tub of shit. Hypocrite bitch. Anti gun but surround yourself with armed guards. Typical lezbo sow. It would be no loss to society to lose your fat greasy ass.”
Sug. Soos iemand vantevore al gesê het: Teen die sotheid van die mens staan selfs die gode magteloos.
Rosie se gedig volg hieronder. Of ons die slapies moet aftel na haar debuut as digter? Daarvan is ek helaas nie seker nie.
***
my heart attack
August 20, 2012
its a semi-sunny monday
the light bouncing off the flat hudson
mish is sitting next to me
i am happy to be alive
last week i had a heart attack
here is what happened
on tuesday morning
while walking in a parking lot in nyack
i heard a loud commanding voice
“can u help me”
more of a demand than request
a challenge – a plea
i turned and saw an enormous woman
struggling to get out of her car
she was stuck
“can u help me? she asked again
as i walked toward her
“oh u r rosie odonnell”
yes i am
the ghost of christmas future
me – if i did not wake
there r no accidents i thought
as i braced myself and lifted her
it was not easy
but together we did it
she was up and on her way
with gratitude
a few hours later my body hurt
i had an ache in my chest
both my arms were sore
everything felt bruised
muscular – i thought
strained or pulled tissue
i went about my day
the pain persisted
i became nauseous
my skin was clammy
i was very very hot
i threw up
maybe this is a heart attack
i googled womens heart attack symptoms
i had many of them
but really? – i thought – naaaa
i took some bayer aspirin
thank god
saved by a tv commercial
literally
i did not call 911
50% of women having heart attacks never call 911
200,000 women die of heart attacks
every year in the US
by some miracle i was not one of them
the next day i went to a cardiologist
the dr did an EKG and sent me to the hospital
where a stent was put in
my LAD was 99% blocked
they call this type of heart attack
the Widow maker
i am lucky to be here
know the symptoms ladies
listen to the voice inside
the one we all so easily ignore
CALL 911
save urself
xxx
