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Bits of Me by Roger McGough
(hopefully the formatting will survive the transition to mail servers!)
When people ask: ‘How are you?’
I say, ‘Bits of me are fine.’
And they are. Lots of me I’d take
anywhere. Be proud to show off.
But it’s the bits that can’t be seen
that worry. The boys in the backroom
who never get introduced.
The ones with the Latin names
who grumble about the hours I keep
and bang on the ceiling
when I’m enjoying myself. The overseers.
The smug biders of time.
Over the years our lifestyles
have become incompatible.
We were never really suited
and now I think they want out.
One day, on cue, they’ll down tools.
Then it’s curtains for me. (Washable
plastic on three sides.) Post-op.
Pre-med. The bed nearest the door.
Enter cheerful staff nurse (Irish
preferably). ‘And how are you today?’
(I see red.) Famous last words:
‘Bits of me are fine.’ On cue, dead.
Tom Bishop |
Information Services Manager | Library and Information Services
The Royal College
of Surgeons of
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