Leg Mixup

History repeats itself everywhere and in the field of medicine too. In 1995 I wrote a poem that was inspired by those unfortunate persons who had a wrong-side amputation of a limb or a kidney. Just last week I read about it again somewhere in Europe. In the recent event the marking of the surgical site had been incorrect and unfortunately, the individual was then forced to have the "correct" surgery performed a couple days later because of advanced vascular disease. 

Leg Mixup

They cut my wrong leg off, oops
Well I guess I won't be shooting hoops,
And there was a mix-up with my right hand
But they explained it pretty good and I understand,
That sometimes mistakes are made
In the best of situations,
I really ought to be glad
There were no post-op complications.

My wife said I need to sue them
But I said no, I think they tried their best,
They performed the operation
At my behest,
So even I share 
Some of the responsibility
And my mother always told me
Be kind and use civility.

2021
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Undefined Compensation

Amputated the wrong leg
Cut off the wrong breast,
If life is lesson
Then this is a test,
We'll proceed with forgiveness
As we march to the court,
They took off the good parts
And now they're selling us short.

Removed the wrong hand
Took out the wrong eye,
You might call this living
But we want to die,
We'll proceed with forgiveness
But these doctors must pay,
They took off the good parts
And that's not okay.

Each side will gather lawyers
And medical scholars,
To define compensation
In a matter of dollars,
But you can't say we're happy
With the settlement planned,
It's tough to applause
When you don't have a hand.

1995