Men Dying

I saw a man
DYING
in A&E this morning.
he was laying naked
surrounded
by witnesses wrapping red bandages.
he was making horrible noises
no hair on his irrelevant balls.

I don’t remember
the actual words used
but they were horrible noises too.

I saw a man
DYING
in CTC this afternoon.
he lay in a brand new ward
bubble wraps barely off his bed.
he is
just covered
– we’re losing one,
a nurse told me
she was serious and sad.

I ESCAPE
to a ward upstairs
where a girl feeds me chocolate
in her staff room.
there was life
in her eyes and calves.

later,
on the phone
horrible reality creeps in like DEATH.
I am talking to a voice
hiding in a caravan.
I’m in my pants in my bed.

I don’t remember
exactly what we said
but we made horrible noises too.

no plump nurse
watched my heart fade
irreparably clogged with whiskey
and unshed tears.

Ford Dagenham