Primum  non  nocere

Primum non nocere

Lying on trolleys like some discarded sacks Waiting for a passing nurse to offer solace Patients cry for help and family stand, wide-eyed Drinking in the scene-of harried staff who Rush around – no time to stop and care, Too busy meeting targets, managing flow....
Re cultivating the need to nurture

Re cultivating the need to nurture

“By the time you are 50, it’s either God or the garden,” said a close friend a decade ago when she was approaching her half century. At a decade younger than she was, I had laughed, pointed out that it had always been the garden for her, and that I couldn’t see me...
Relying on the comfort of strangers.

Relying on the comfort of strangers.

“He sails out of Southampton.” “Yes!” “I remember when he was born. You were so excited; your first grandson.” I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I couldn’t really help it, given I was early, my stylist busy with her previous client and there was nobody else in the room....
Re-galvinising: after the loss.

Re-galvinising: after the loss.

My dog died last week. She was my second baby, my shadow, my companion, for 15 years. I was her top dog and she was mine. She spent her days at my feet, or cuddled up nearby while I worked, often discernible in the corner of a zoom meeting. If I lay on the sofa, she...