Working for a living I
ferried myself as my own
taxi driver to work, home,
friends’ places, family,
evening meetings, outings.
On my pension I walk, bus
occasionally take a taxi.
I told a few taxi drivers
good routes to take to
reduce my fare. They
objected at length so now
I use the smaller taxi
company, tactfully encourage
praise those using economical
money saving routes.
Fortunately walking and bus
timetables usually suit my days.
Previously posted March 2018.
Buses
Many other passengers share
the poor woman’s personal
vehicle, the plus sized bus.
Travelling round the city
between long scheduled intervals
they share a chauffeur, fit
their outings and errands
around the council timetable,
walk to and from bus stops.
Yet passengers have no bills
for maintenance, tyres, no
need to negotiate traffic
lights and roundabouts or
struggle to park a car, pay
parking meters, warrants,
licences, registration.
Good compensation for
walking to bus stops.
Previously posted March 2018.
In The Wind
Shifting shapes shades colours
flying flapping fluttering
flowing in the airy current
punctuated by random gusts
sharp breezes tugging at
corners of rectangular towels
anchored to the clothesline.
Brightly hued stripes patches
spots catching sunlight on
thick velvety pile and
worn threadbare cloth alike.
A flowing abstract depiction
of colours caught by sunlight
on a b risk drying day.
Previously posted March 2018.
Uproar
My head resonates with
glugging hissing crackling
slurping suction sounds
booming round the boundaries
inside my skull.
Tubes and wires sprout from
the little motor over my head.
One tube leads into a cone
in my ear which craves
immediate scratching.
I focus resolutely on staying
still thoughout the uproar.
My ear canals clear after ten
long minutes. I hear again.
Previously posted March 2018.
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.
lifecameos 