“In the Assisted Living Home” by Debbie Hall, published in Mixtape: Marginal States, released in December 2025, has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. To choose our nominees this year was especially challenging, for we published 31 books, including 1,080 poems in total. Among all of these amazing and moving poems, this poem continues to be one of my favorites.
I couldn’t help but smile every time I read this poem. What a glorious celebration of life; our bodies—in all its beautiful forms; and to never taking ourselves so seriously we forget to let our mouth curve into a faint smile. If I live to be 98 years old, I will wear purple gloves and go for a naked stroll.
Please enjoy the poem, and feel free to leave a comment.
In the Assisted Living Home
by Debbie Hall
William stands naked
in the foyer, gripping his walker,
fingers shielded from sticky germs
by bright purple surgical gloves.
Sipping her scotch and water
in the living room,
my mother raises one eyebrow
and her mouth curves
into a faint smile
as she watches him.
It’s too damn hot in here!
William barks.
Perhaps he is counting on shock value
to deflect attention
from the 30 rolls of toilet tissue,
12-pack of paper towels
and 100-count box of rubber gloves
he has pilfered and stashed
beneath his bed.
And yet, this laying in of supplies
may indicate
nothing more than
William’s strong belief
in his potential for a long life.
Who would not call that
a healthy outlook at 98?
Who would deny him
the privilege of walking naked
down the hallway,
skin glistening,
every motion of his body
a triumphant song?
from Mixtape: Marginal States by Debbie Hall (The Poetry Box, 2025)
nominated for The Pushcart Prize by Shawn Aveningo Sanders, editor/publisher
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