Doctors

On regular doctor visits for
later years medical conditions
I ask if various medical factors
affect my conditions, ask how
I can mitigate their effects.
Already in his fifties the doctor
is patient, polite, tolerant of my
questions but no discussions
further develop. In a sole doctor
practice I can ask not further.

As one condition evolves into
a serious phase I embark on
the process of changing
doctors in today’s world.
I fill in enrolment pages
state official health numbers
consent to patient records
transfer. The previous doctor’s
administrator rings, lambasts
me for moving on. with relief
I complete my new patient entry
interview with a senior nurse.

Now I can see a doctor who
talks to me as a human being.


Previously posted March 2018.

Easter

Inside the supermarket entry
tower tall displays of boxed
chocolate rabbits, giant Easter
eggs mini Easter eggs all in
boxes, sealed cellophane packets
wrapped in gold, silver, brightly
coloured foil all around me
in front of the sliding doors.

They pull me up short, foods
a diabetic should not eat.

Vivid memories return from
a year ago. Newly diagnosed
with diabetes I went with
my first diabetes class on a
dietitian guided tour of the
supermarket food shelves
discussing food ingredient
effects on diabetic bodies …

… saw a life of exclusion at
the supermarket before me.


Previously posted March 2018.

Survival

In the far off southern seas on
their antipodean landing place
white races sought relief
from overcrowded poverty in
distant northern home lands
wedged themselves among
earlier settlers from southern
islands around their ocean.

To the white people’s growing
society came more settlers
from further east desperately
seeking a living to put a roof
overhead, food on their tables.

With hard physical labour
they earned food and shelter
through the mire of white
taxes, prejudices, scorn, then
brought out their kinsfolk in
spite of their tribulations.
For in their homelands
warring invaders trampled
down the poverty stricken
destroying homes and farms.

But here in the antipodes
they could survive, start again.


Previously posted March 2018.

Exhumations

Delving into his immediate
family history our long lost
cousin and his children found
hidden twists and misery
behind shutdown faces
and blank closed doors.

For I told what I knew,
he had not known it before.
Researching he found more
never mentioned to the
younger upcoming generations.

Attempted suicide depression
procuring miscarriages of
unintended pregnancies silently
lurk behind closed doors,
convoluted lies cast a heavy
invisible blanket on successive
generations with far reaching
unhappiness, separations, feuds.

Previously posted March 2018.

Seeking Time Travel

Finding a crucial piece of
information to locate his
forbears’ origins a long lost
cousin called for more
missing links to fill in gaps
in the picture puzzle.

A chaotic tapestry of
random events outside the
families’ control, misdeeds
and misunderstandings, feuds
and partings appeared as
he intertwined his new
information with ours.

He longed to travel back
in time to speak to this
person, to that one, tell
them to have compassion
explain this and that,
make peace between them.


Previously posted March 2018.

Floating

My shopping trundler
ground its sturdy wheels
under the burdensome load
of elderly reference books
from long ago teaching days.
Its staunch metal frame
sagged in spite of its
regular body building
weighty shopping loads.

With books unloaded at the
charity drop off point for
the second hand book sale
the trundler raised itself to
full height seeming to float
behind me as we left.


Previously posted March 2018.

Creeping Cockroaches

Each year an occasional
cockroach strayed across
the back door steps of our
little flats. we never saw
where they came from.

Until a young couple settled
into out middle flat
cleared out their carport
and locker for car parts
and mechanic’s tools.

Cockroaches surged out
to be squashed with the
yard broom on the
carport’s concrete floor.

No more cockroaches for
a long time until he
spent his summer break
on car engine and wheels
for days in and out of the
locker with parts and tools.

A cockroach rebellion against
the upheaval surged out of
their lair to be squashed in
the carport, on door steps.

All is peaceful for now until he
works again on his elderly car.


Previously posted February 2018.

Recovery

After unaccustomed convalescent
immobility the ginger tabby
cautiously moves his back
legs and tail stepping carefully
to the back door down steps
to the back garden where he
attends to his private business.
Soon he will be chasing other
feline visitors off his
fiercely guarded territory.

Nana is catching up on
neglected activities after
her busy pre Christmas
sewing time. Elderly Brownie
with white muzzle and eyebrows
staring out of her coal black
face enjoys long snoozes
under Nana’s sewing desk.

After eleven long days
his family came home to
the joy of the black and
white cat. He and the eight
year old curled up together
on the couch while Mum
and Dad cooked dinner.
He purred loudly as she
stroked him, told him about
their holiday, enjoying
his family about him.


Pre4viously posted February 2018.

Haircuts

Mum felt better looking
at her tidy trimmed hair
reflection in the mirror.

The hairdresser pointed out
little brother’s thick curly thatch
would soon be hard to trim.

Brushing little brother’s hair
caused loud screaming sessions
but Mum still loved those curls.

Reluctantly she plucked little
brother from the salon’s toy
corner, placed him on the
special children’s cushion
on the hair salon chair.

But active energetic little
brother would not sit still
on the cushion so they stood
at the street window to watch
the cars go by. The hairdresser
snipped here and there as his
head turned from side to side.

At last the job was done
the thatch of curls scooped off
the floor into a plastic bag.

Mu went soberly home with
a cheery little brother and
a bag of discarded curls.


Previously posted February 2018.