an homage to the girl in the yellow jacket

The police gave her to me in one of their yellow jackets

And nothing else

When she didn’t go quickly enough

He grabbed the front of it and threw her on the stretcher

The thud reverberated

Her bare legs were cold and bloody

Her knees bore two crimson oases

Revealed by broken skin

I laid a blanket over her

Two small red stains materialized before me,

I pretended not to notice

They said, “she’s on amphetamines.”

The whites of her eyes were embraced by thin red capillaries

Her pupils the size of my remaining faith in mankind-

Small black dots swimming in the sea of her scared blue eyes

She wouldn’t tell me her last name

Or what happened

But she started to cry when I asked what she needed

She said, sorry

I said, Don’t worry

That crisp Monday morning

Will live forever in both of our brains

I’ll always wish I did more.

At the hospital,

She panicked as they tugged at her arm

Wanting her to change into a gown

I’ll always wish I did more

When security came in and yelled

I’ll always wish I did more

When her hands went over her ears

I’ll always wish I did more

When they told her I needed my stretcher back

And she finally listened

I’ll always wish I did more

When I left without another word

She was almost 30

But that day she was just a girl

Just another girl who made the mistake of needing help

I’ll always wish I had stopped them

From taking her yellow jacket