conversations in a hospital #2: the mudville 9

Mr L was a "vocal musician" until cancer ruined his larynx.
"that's just reality, these things happen"
lying in bed with a blood pressure way beyond the normal limits of any living person, Mr L told me about the few hundred different species of birds he owns at a sanctuary west of barrie.
a diabetic with hardly any teeth, sucking on a hard candy, he begged me to take him outside for a cigarette. he tells me that suffering from bipolar, he shouldn't be in this hospital, he needs to be in a mental institution.
i tell him that he needs to get his physical body better first.
he tells me the body and mind go together and his mental state is not getting any better in a hospital where they neglect his mental illness.
"i'm not a brave person. i've cursed myself many times over"