Poem on Coma after Traumatic Brain Injury by Katherine Kimes

Coma Image – My Brain Injury

By Katherine Kimes 

 I did not see a light at the end

of a tunnel.  I did not see any-

thing that I can remember.

No sky.  No clouds.  No angels.

No heaven.  No darkness.

I would describe my soul’s spiritual journey,

but I don’t remember …anything.

Those weeks my body

lay silent, immobile, unconscious

in a hospital bed

my thoughts weren’t debating

the Angel of Death

on the benefits of buckling up

for safety.

I don’t remember.

Time was measured

by the rhythmic beeps

of my heart monitor — sounding

echoes of inevitable change.

Unconscious, immobile and silent

I was without me.

I remember nothing.

Nothing

changed my life forever.

For more information, see:

Coma: When a person has a brain injury

By Ron Savage, Ed.D. and Marilyn Lash, M.S.W.

Brain injury tip card explains what a coma is and how its severity is measured by coma scales. Gives tips for families for visiting and bedside coma care.