Waikato Hospital Parking Garage

we drive that corkscrew
and ride it down so many
times we are experts at
reading the looks of other
drivers for signs of spots left
at the top the administration
prints tickets numbered and
hued for the doors of each
floor there is no primary
entrance i negotiate a way in
one night they move you
from your own room to a
ward of old men to a room
of women and intermittently
sirening bedside monitors
the head nurse looks our
age and after hours of deferring
replies from the night staff
she at least can say what happened
during your surgery i know that
for now you won’t be reminded so
i put this stack of tickets away
i’ve kept to write my notes on

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Brandon De La Cruz grew up in the suburbs of Southern California’s Inland Empire. He has lived the past six years in Kirikiriroa Hamilton. He is currently a candidate for an MFA in creative writing at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.