BLUE RASPBERRY | Lealani Mae Y. Acosta

cotton-candy lips
her blue-raspberry smile beams
at the school carnival
sugar-high strands plaster her purple face
stuffed into sweet cheeks

sweaty hair strands plaster her face
gobs of blue emesis
empty from sunken cheeks
E. coli ravages her system
Mama is the doctor, and the doctor said …
turquoise-tinted electrolyte-drink mustache
Crystal Iceberg Liquidade
who comes up with these names?
she sips from her favorite kitty cat mug
repleting fluids lost

who comes up with these nonsense names
lactated ringers, phenylephrine, dobutamine.
repleting fluids she lost
IVs play chutes and ladders in her veins
lactated ringers, phenylephrine, dobutamine.
ED team rotates, rhythmic hands on her chest
Mama pushes aside the ED team, flails her

rhythmic hands on her chest
Mama bewails her
blue-raspberry, cotton-candy lips

Lealani Mae Y. Acosta is an associate professor of neurology and a board-certified behavioral neurologist specializing in neurodegenerative memory disorders. Acosta's publications reflect varied neurological interests, including peer-reviewed research articles in cognitive and behavioral neurology and narrative medicine. Her work has appeared in JAMA, JAMA Neurology, Neurology, Neurology: Clinical Practice, the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, and Anesthesiology. Most of her research revolves around cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, including clinical trials for new drug therapies.

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