Do Not Disturb!

Unless thy namesake slew Goliath;
unless thou art named for the Madonna;
unless thy name tastes to the tongue, analogous to vanilla;
unless thy heart be as brave and stout as that of Ulysses;
BE GONE
for within resides the raging Minotaur.

or more literally

Unless your name is David, Maria or Danila
or you are very seriously brave
DO NOT ENTER
because I’m having a real bad hair day.

Anthony W. Pahl
02 July 1998

Trying to cope in hospital during a particularly difficult period, I was becoming extremely agitated with the streams of people constantly interrupting me in my private room. I wrote the above in an attempt to send a clear message. It worked. (By the way, David was my contact and link nurse, Maria is my wife and Danila was another patient and friend.)

Page created: Friday, 07 June 2002