Two Benches Away
Screaming to a halt,
and I mean screaming,
they fell onto the bench
the wheel chair not suited
to the steep slopes of Criccieth.
They were still laughing
when the rest of them arrived,
residents and carers,
out for more than a stroll
on a promenade flatter than accents.
I held the phone so you could hear voices
full of castles and laughter,
and you said something that surprised me,
something about words,
about the naming of things,
and for a second I was lost,
you said Care and Residential,
and it brought back homes,
the Nursing Homes where my brief visits
would interrupt the routine,
where the armchairs were benches
and the patients were boulders
surrounded by crisps, fag ends
and pools drying in the afternoon sun
with big screen views of Arizona
or a game show from Pebble Mill.
But I did nothing, I did my job,
chased up an extra biscuit,
talked about holidays
and looked the other way.
Terry Quinn was a Medical Engineer before retiring in 2012. His collection The Amen of Knowledge won the Geoff Steven’s Memorial Prize in 2013. He hosts the Arts Scene programme on Preston fm.