Trade Places With You

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Got the message drove on down told me at the desk
Said you can’t go home until they run a couple tests
Nothing got the best of you or slowed you down before
A broken wrist in ‘66 a stroke in ‘94

You were tough as nails I’ll admit I almost cried
Spent a month or two sleeping by your side
Wish I told you more the things I knew I should
Like I would trade places with you if it would do any good

Traded dirty jokes then we gave the nurse a wink
Cranked up Born To Run got the patients all to sing
Smuggled in a quarter pounder just because you asked
Then the doctors busted us and everybody laughed

Read out loud even though I was scared of how it ends
Hadn’t done that since I can’t remember when
Maybe you could feel it as I closed the storybook
That I would trade places with you if I only could

Put myself in your shoes and tried to feel the pain
Wish I knew how to trade with you and take it all away

Kept all the sketches the crossword puzzles too
Dig them out and think of you some Sunday afternoons
We were making memories of course I didn’t know it then
Bittersweet and beautiful and I’d do it all again

Really kept me guessing never showed your hand
Waited ‘til the hourglass was almost outta’ sand
Fumbled with the words just prayed you understood
I would trade places with you, you bet I would

 - February 2019 -                                                                        #265