The Sharp And Shitty End Of The Stick
I walk onto the ward, the first
Thing I hear is a shrunken
Old woman shouting “Help me
Help me, will someone please
Help me.” It carries on like
A tape loop. I look and see that
She is lying sideways across
Her bed. If somebody would
Just turn her 90 degrees
Perhaps she would be happy,
Or at least be quiet. I don’t
Mean to sound so flippant,
The atmosphere in this place
Has me close to tears. If it
Was my mother shouting for
Help, again and again, I would
Drag a Nurse or Doctor by the
Collar or hair until they were
At her bedside and she was
Happy. I will always maintain
That it’s the N.H.S that makes
Britain, Great Britain, the care
And compassion that our
Society has for one another.
But when you are here at the
Sharp and shitty end of the
Stick, you can’t help but
Wonder, are we being realistic?
But, of course, we all want the
Best treatment when it’s our
Turn.
©Ian Lewis Copestick all rights reserved
Ian Lewis Copestick is a 47-year-old writer from Stoke on Trent England. Although he started writing poetry in 2001, he only started sending them out for publication 8 months ago. In this time he has had over 100 poems and 5 short stories published. He is featured in print anthologies by Alien Buddha Press and Horror Sleaze Trash. His first book Detritus Of The Drunken Night was published by Cajun Mutt Press April 2, 2019.