Devices

Oxygen by nasal tubes

We climbed to the top
Of Beachy Head
But I wouldn’t venture
Near the edge
For fear of sudden earthquakes

A needle in your neck
To determine your fluid levels

And I worry if the car
Has enough petrol
And if the digital read out
Predicting twenty-three miles
Is as accurate as they say

The blood pressure pads
Wind around your arm
And inflate every five minutes

But we rarely sulk
Or let the atmosphere build
I have been known to be grumpy
But I try to be positive

Three tubes into your arm
Feed you plasma, nutrients
And antibiotics

Sometimes we over-order
Indian food. Particularly
If we have visitors

Two tubes
Drain away the leaking blood
We have both experienced
This leakage of red and blues
Thankfully full Technicolor
Is fully restored

A catheter removes urine

The paper shredder is a great invention
And a boon to our office
Where we sit
And watch the sea, in two minds
Empty and refill the beach

Around your legs the dreaming tubes
Move like restless snakes
Keeping the blood flowing

You keep your computer on
Constantly
The whizzing dots on your screen saver
Never sleep

At night
My computer rests
Fitfully