He stood by me disrupted bed and gentle voiced,
he spoke my name, He checked the bleeping,
life saving equipment and then my plethora of
pipes and plastic tubes that will keep me from
being the next statistic of those dying from covid.
—-
Do they see – feel the woe?
Do they care to even know?
Or is this the way they want it?
—
He smiled through his mask and I could see it
echoed in in dark eyes. Easing my distress he
spoke kindly and encouragingly that the figures
were improving and that if it stays that way then
the team will come to remove the paraphernalia.
—-
Do they see – feel the woe?
Do they care to even know?
Or is this the way they want it?
—-
I lay looking at the same slightly cracked white
tile above my bed and wondered how my child
was coping without me. Would her flustered father
fix her hair, hold her, whisper encouragement,
pack up her school bag, remember her gym kit?
——-
Do they see – feel the woe?
Do they care to even know?
Or is this the way they want it?
—-
I saw him on the screen last night and would’ve
wept if I’d the energy. Proudly shows a wonderful,
pinman picture of me in a hospital bed and tears
rolling down drawn cheeks as he realised that
I was alive and animated and coming home.
—–
Do they see – feel the woe?
Do they care to even know?
Or is this the way they want it?
—–
The gentleman in the pristine bed by me is
gently gone this morning, wheeled down to
the miserable morgue where he’ll wait for his
wife to weep at his funeral. And today I find
a single tear for him or was it pity for me?
——
Do they see – feel the woe?
Do they care to even know?
Or is this the way they want it?
——
Sorrow for him and me and the emergency,
exhausted staff look at the news in horror,
as Johnson and his staff ease the rules so
more and more sick and dying will be on
their lists. And is I wept. Each salty drop,
a patient, those caring people, who have just
saved my life and lovingly helped another
to depart theirs, are so pressed and hurt,
forced to choose between their vocations
their faithful families, their mental health.
=====
Still, at number 10 that means nothing as
they play at politics and give money to
their friends, and no one investigates and
no one has stopped their tossing aside the
rules and fragile folk everywhere mourn.
—–
Did they see – feel the woe
Did they care to even know?
Or is this the way they want it?
