Body: Health on seeing calves in a slaughter truck

(Hum to: Come All Ye Maidens Young and Fair...)

Meat it is a precious thing
and meat brings all things to my mind
meat with all it flavours
along with all its joys
meat brings all things to my mind.

Babies really
right, wrong,
snouts too small
wry words
cliches
stop my feet

Responsible
ownership
crates or not
I'll own my own
do my do
to own what I do
do what I own
see that:

Meat it is a precious thing
and meat brings all things to my mind
meat with all its flavours
along with all its joys
meat brings all things to my mind.

Body: Health Bother Hospital

I get to take a day off from my life.
I get a hospital bed,
a 12 hour fast,
full anesthesia,
tea toast and an army of people
wheeling me,

So I get a day off to contemplate

prodding me,
asking me questions.

Pain is what started this,
sharp, strong and getting worse over time.
I'm not used to complaints
so I do and say nothing
get on with my life
until one morning
there is no energy
to get up.

A string of dates for:
blood, urine, ultrasounds
and physical examinations
come up with nothing
but there are words:
cancer, hysterectomy,
ovaries, polyps,
meno-pause, HRT
they ring loud and clear.

So I get to take a day off
to contemplate what is, was, will be,
won't, might, could and maybe
already is.
A day to be aware of how mortal I am.

A day to be aware of how mortal I am