Kate
Written By Charlie Walker
By Elizabeth Dunford
Highly Commended, ‘Written Word’ Category
She swivels wheelchairs to the tables with ease
tucks big bibs under chins, pours milky tea
wipes sweat from her forehead with her overall sleeve
she coaxes, just a spoonful, of sloppy macaroni,
mashed spuds and turnips, carrots soaked in gravy,
jelly, ice-cream that slips down easily
she scrapes the leavings from the dinner plates
the old folk do not have much appetite
unlike stray cats, who gather in the grounds at night
for Kate to fill their bowls. For now, she
turns up the volume on the Vera Lynn CD,
dances round the dining-room, pours more milky tea.
Written Word ‘Heart’ poems
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