The Unkindest Cut

I read about a twelve year old
Who fell and cut his arm.
His coach gave him a band-aid;
There was no cause for alarm.

Yet unbeknownst to anyone,
Bacteria crept in
And multiplied with fierce abandon
Underneath the skin.

Next day the boy was feeling sick
With fever and some pain.
The doctor checked him out and thought
The cause was pretty plain –

With lots of virus going round,
That must be what he had;
And so she sent him home
With very worried mom and dad.

He started feeling worse and so
They went to N.Y.U.;
A fine prestigious hospital
Would know just what to do.

Alas, they made the same mistake
As doctor number one.
They took some tests and then dismissed
The parents and their son.

Yet morning came and he declined.
His folks just couldn’t wait.
They rushed back to the hospital;
By then, it was too late.

The doctors somehow’d missed the signs;
His body was in shock.
Bacteria’d been building armies
All around the clock.

And no one knew to give the boy
The proper ammunition.
“We’re very sorry” was the line
They got from each physician.

Now doctors are just human
And of course, they make mistakes;
But reading of this family’s loss,
My heart just up and breaks.