Sonnet: On The Palsied-Man

Pity the palsied-man, who cannot walk, A victim of apoplexy and stroke; Thrombo-embolism, who cannot talk: A vegetable now and sad a yoke! The hemorrhage within the brain can kill And cause brain-swelling that can be lethal; The invalid requires nursing skill, And life becomes sordid, worthless- a hell! The newer gadgets show the lesions quick; Physio-therapy stalls the final kill; While neuro-surgery can cure some sick, Who can bear the huge hospital- bill? What curious states affect the brain these days! But there is hope for mankind’s ills always!