When in hospital the questions are bold
(To which the answers are straightforward then).
Do not resuscitate – response, Amen ;
So when my time is up, they have been told
As ‘Life is a terminal condition’,
Then It’s end should be without confusion.
Do not strive to keep me alive – I’m old.
-
Author:
Doggerel Dave (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: July 11th, 2026 19:54
- Comment from author about the poem: Cheer up Sunshine – the world keeps turning (and me with it, for a little while). This is not morbid, nor miserable – just a quest for clarity, as usual. Edited for even greater clarity 13/7/26.
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 47
- Users favorite of this poem: Paul Bell, Tristan Robert Lange, sorenbarrett, Cheeky Missy, Carlos Alberto BUSTILLOS, Syd
Offline)
Comments9
When my wife was in hospital at the end of her life due to dementia I agreed to DNR for her. I was with her when she took her last breath and it was a release for both of us.
Andy
Hear, Hear Andy. Thanks for your response.
DNR is peace and respect
Peace and respect sound pretty right to me. With that goes the corollary that no medic should officiously attempt to keep me alive when the end is imminent and indisputable anyway.
Thanks for the support, Rik.
Most welcome, I too would rather not be tinkered with when the time comes 🕊️🙏🏻
DNR. There is a certain dread seeing those words, but for the person in the bed, there might be a blessing that they control their own end.
Yes, the world keeps turning, and for a while we turned with it and hopefully made our mark.
Person in bed is the only one that counts.
Not quite sure about having made our mark if the mark is being used in a positive sense...
Dave, this gave me a good chuckle, my friend. 😂 "Life is a terminal condition" is one of those lines that makes you laugh and nod at the same time. Really enjoyed this. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
Possibly you could get away with this depending on your direction Tristan. Mostly it was a serious warning to everyone about the questions they might be subjected to when they reach a ripe old age. However you fixed upon 'Life is a terminal condition' and really I cannot blame you for the response you noted here. Just wish I'd been its author.
The fave Dave is for the sentiment in this piece I hold the same. I have known Emergency Room doctors that had the message do not resuscitate tattooed on their chest. The process itself is a horrible one and painful I am told just like when they used to hang a man but not let him die bringing him back after loosing consciousness only to be hung again.
Thanks for the support, Soren. Yes, not a few times I've toyed with the idea of a tattoo just under the left nipple, but I'm a coward when it comes to actually getting it done, so instead I intend to rely on my ability to articulate my needs even in the most dire of circumstances. 'Not when you are unconscious', you say? Well, the hospital I am likely to land in has my very explicit wishes on record and then some...
Wishing you well my friend and hope that this is not needed for a very long time
Thanks Soren.
What's creepiest is the initials of a colleague, which I never realized until your discussion here. Charming and still morbid, if you ask me, despite your denial of the ghastly reality under discussion. Thank you for sharing.
Hey, a very long time Missy, since I’ve heard from you. It warms me muchly to find you back.
Issues though:
You’ve made a return to the main arena with a plethora of sonnets – could you not pop them in one by one and thus allow serious attention to each?
Cannot be held responsible for the initials of your colleague. Not responsible for the initials themselves, though they work in the context of the situation.
There’s no ‘denial of the ghastly reality’ – no denial and it is reality.
You never did get back to me to explain the Second Amendment to your Constitution.
Well all of us are here for a limited amount of time- so rather than dwell upon it, utilize it to the fullest and enjoy your time here 🤗✌️
Not dwelling; I just want to advise that when a certain age is reached, in all likelihood, where I live these questions will be asked. Better to get opinion sorted and then park it in order to carry on, as you so rightly point out, enjoying life to the full while it is there.
Cold ink on a form, but it reads like a man who’s already shaken hands with the dark.
No drama left—just a steady voice saying enough is enough.
It will be one day ,and when it comes I\'ll know.
In the meantime....
Thanks for the call, Thomas
Its not a question of me knowing where you are coming from our Dave .. its more of a thumbs up for your upfrontedness .. Neville ⭐⭐⭐⭐👍
I do try, Neville................. very trying?
Many thanks for all your support.
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