IN HOSPITAL

My mother had a heart attack and
The hospital put in a stent which,
With cheap irony, probably killed her
But the thing I want now to remember
Is the young nurse who chatted with her
When first she was there and it looked
Like she'd recover. My mother agreed
To think over the nurse's problems
And offer advice when the nurse
Came back on duty two days later.
By then my mother was in a coma.
Ten and a half years later I wake up
Wondering what the problems were
And whether my mother's words
Would have held a solution.