Glare

Summary

The poem "Glare" by Jessica Lee McMillan reflects on the emotional journey of a parent taking a child's medical sample to a hospital lab amidst the sterile and dehumanizing environment of a healthcare facility during a pandemic.

Abstract

"Glare" captures the intense and disconcerting experience of navigating a hospital during a time of heightened health anxiety. The protagonist feels the weight of judgmental stares while attempting to fulfill a critical task for their child. The atmosphere is one of tension and discomfort, with the clinical setting amplifying the sense of isolation and the burden of parental responsibility. As the protagonist moves from the hospital to public transportation, the cold, impersonal nature of the surroundings contrasts sharply with the warmth and comfort of human connection, particularly the longing for a child's embrace and the simplicity of shared laughter with a neighbor. The poem underscores the emotional toll of navigating a world made hostile by illness and the collective unease it generates.

Opinions

The author conveys a sense of judgment and hostility from the glares of others in the hospital, highlighting the social tension present in public spaces during a health crisis.
There is an underlying critique of the dehumanizing aspects of healthcare environments, with elements like plexiglass barriers and sanitation protocols contributing to a sterile and impersonal experience.
The poem suggests a transformation in the onlookers' attitudes when they realize the protagonist's errand is for a child, implying a shared understanding and empathy among parents in difficult situations.
The protagonist experiences a stark contrast between the cold, mechanical nature of the hospital and transportation systems and the warmth of human interactions, emphasizing the importance of connection and empathy during trying times.
The author expresses a yearning for normalcy and human touch, symbolized by the desire for a maskless smile and the comfort of community, indicating the emotional impact of social distancing measures.

A prose poem

Specimen dropped off at the hospital lab. I try to shake off the glowering eyes from the waiting room seats, the room with ashy carpet and plexiglass amplifying red digit marquee and florescent drone.

The glares strip me. Eyes that left their humanity behind and want me to know I’m an asshole for going directly to the counter without taking a number. From my lips, they overhear it’s a standing order. And it’s for a child. Who’s the asshole now?

The eyes then become subdued, sadder. Edgy from the screenings at the sliding main doors, the chaos of putting on a sanctioned mask commingled with the friction of alcohol and the sounds of clanking gurneys, swearing patients who’ve faced some injustice of waiting, and the loud seconds ticking — of breathing the same air as other human beings. Hand sanitizer buzzes skin again out of the doomed entrance. From the winter rain into the station is like roaming inside a grey skeleton, clouds indecipherable from glass ceiling.

The air is a cold sting with CP horns on the tracks below, invading the skull like a dry swab up the nose. Missing the skytrain, there are 7 more minutes of nearby construction shrill, generator tilling its way through the air.

Electromagnetic rails flutter to a halt, steel screaming, stark and penetrating.

As I get onto the draughty car, passengers spaced like automatons. I long for a warm radio, the hug of analog,

the shoulder-blades of my daughter’s embrace, her inevitable breath of strawberry antibiotics.

I long for a maskless smile and sitting on a wooden step, bordered in greenery, to laugh with you as my neighbour.

POETRY

Glare

A prose poem