The Ambulance

Its siren is annoying;
Its flashing light disturbs.
Its speed propels pedestrians
To back up to the curbs.

It zigs and zags on city streets
Ignoring lights turned red,
Determined to respond, no matter
What might lie ahead.

A heart attack or vertigo,
An accident or fall;
A suicide or murder –
The attendant’s seen it all.

To passersby, its presence
Is forgotten in a minute
Except, perhaps to thank their stars
They’re not the patient in it.