Diving in the river is much too damp,
Taking an overdose gives you cramp,
Owning a gun is just not lawful,
Head in the oven smells really awful.
Razor slashes cause too much mess,
Jumping under a train causes distress,
Committing Hari-Kari is far too oriental,
Jumping off a cliff is just not gentle,
Taking poison can take too long,
Shooting yourself is clearly wrong,
Your hanging noose may sometimes give,
All in all, you might as well live.
Silent as a sepulchre
Save for the mandatory telly,
Giving wallpaper sounds to unhearing ears
And pictures to unseeing eyes.
Suddenly the silence is punctured
By shouts in elderly toddler sounds,
The humming of an unknown tune
And talk in strange-sounding words
Residents huddled in easy chairs,
Snoozing and dreaming of yesteryear,
Of work, of love and friends
And of days long, long gone.
Visitors arrive with grapes and flowers,
Shouting to be understood,
They talk of grandchildren and future plans,
While other residents sit alone - unloved.
Mealtime comes and they shuffle in
Pushing zimmers, or aided by on sticks.
Pitting false teeth against crusts and pies
And dreaming of delicacies of days gone by.
THE HOME (Continued)
Carers wash and feed the residents
With a Caribbean or Oriental smile.
Accompanied by a shrug of resignation,
Longing for their homeland far away.
Tick, tock, tick, tock, goes the clock
As hour follows hour and day follows day,
Ticking remorselessly on and on
Till the residents bid their last goodbye.
