blood

this morning i dropped off a friend at the hospital.
she was born in india. her twin sister lived in new york. her sister went blind a few years ago and my friend, ita, is in a wheelchair. she talks about
her sister like they see each other every day.
when i ask about it she says,
"no -no, that happened in the 80's..."
and she laughs, "i haven't seen her in ten years"
ita went on to tell about how her sister was the good looking one with all the talent. she slowly went blind after she left her husband.

Ita was going to the hospital to get a prescription for a new wheelchair.
while she was there the doctor said that he wanted to run some tests and check her blood.
she was diagnosed with what they use to call a wasting away disease. where she will get weaker and weaker.
while she was getting diagnosed i walked around the sidewalks and parking lot.
i noticed patterns of blood stains every where. sometimes they were very subtle, sometimes
fresh puddles.
Rorschach images of various vivid or soft stories.
one trail led me to this sock
i wont know these stories but they kept me busy while i waited to hear ita's next chapter.

later this afternoon i was in the canned food grocery outlet, there was a long gauze bandage soaked in blood half in a puddle of oil. the car infront of me had the bumper sticker
that said "no blood for oil"
no camera.
bad joke anyway.