In little over two years I have had more scans Than a supermarket checkout There is more of my blood in path labs Than I have in my body I've had nasty painful biopsies Things up my **** and cameras down my neck There have been countless appointments At four different hospitals As well as being hospitalised five times Including one minor operation And two major ones I now have ******* up kidneys Veins like ropes and arms like Twiglets And more scars Than a bad knife-throwers assistant But what the hell ! I'm still growing old disgracefully HA !!
By Phil Roberts
For those that don't know, the NHS is the British National Health Service which, thankfully, is still free and, without which, I would certainly be dead. Incidentally, this poem was written about a year ago and things have settled down a lot since.