Literally invalid
We sit for hours
The day passes
Daily purposes –
He phones his wife
She mixes cake –
Cannot be yours
A small, dumb place
Lacking context
White with a blind contradiction of connection
The sitting room
Hums with boredom
A crippled euphemistic kingdom
Of pills or “medication”
Meals cooked and crockery washed
“Neighbours”: drama mimics life
Has Max left Steph?
Is Skye expecting?
A concept forms unbidden:
This is what “care” means
Talk to me!
It doesn‘t matter what you say –
What are the children doing?
Have they opened the new Arcade?
How did Hillary Clinton do in the primaries?
Is Tescos cheaper than Waitrose?
I will wear a pair of reliable shoes to the wedding
Let’s play charades
I will finish the crossword, then play chess
Will you come with me to Bravissimo?
Do you remember The Rolling Stones at Knebworth?
Did you prefer Paul McCartney or John Lennon?
I will tell you off-by-heart my favourite poem;
I haven‘t always been a lemon.
The doctor’s care ends this nightmare.
About the Author
Sreedhar Krishna is a fifth year medical student at Imperial College, London. In between writing books, he manages to play competitive basketball for Imperial College and University of London, and coaches youth basketball at the grassroots level. He aspires to become a dermatologist.
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest: None declared.
Declaration: This is my original unpublished piece, not submitted for publication elsewhere.
CITATION: Krishna S., (2008), Life on the British Ward. In: Some Issues in Women’s Studies, and Other Essays (A.R. Singh and S.A. Singh eds.), MSM, 7, Jan – Dec 2009, p197-198.