REQUIEM FOR A LOST LIMB Twin legs, born together to bear my bodily weight, are severed now. Two thighs, one calf and one foot remain and the pain of a phantom foot reverberating. At first, morphine crowded my mind with confused thoughts and hallucinations. It led me astray, but now I am stronger. Does my left leg mourn its brother? Are severed nerves and tendons weeping? If so, I am told, my brain may soon forget them, and the cutting pain may cease. Perhaps I will gain a mechanical foot. Meanwhile, I must be the patient one, wearing a shrinker on my right thigh and dreaming of a new life to follow. Copyright © NOEL HARROWER – July 2012