poem going between the two rooms, that you cant catch a disease from
a poem unless its love ha ha and thats not bloody likely when youre
what? ten going on eleven? He never heard the likes of it, a little fella
shifted upstairs for saying a poem and he has a good mind to go to the
Limerick Leader and tell them print the whole thing except he has this
job and hed lose it if ever Sister Rita found out.Anyway, Frankie, youll
be outa here one of these fine days and you can read all the poetry you
want though I dont know about Patricia below, I dont know about
Patricia, God help us.
He knows about Patricia in two days because she got out of the bed
to go to the lavatory when she was supposed to use a bedpan and col-
lapsed and died in the lavatory. Seamus is mopping the floor and there
are tears on his cheeks and hes saying, Tis a dirty rotten thing to die in
a lavatory when youre lovely in yourself. She told me she was sorry she
had you reciting that poem and getting you shifted from the room,
Frankie. She said twas all her fault.
It wasnt, Seamus.
I know and didnt I tell her that.
Patricia is gone and Ill never know what happened to the high-
wayman and Bess, the landlords daughter. I ask Seamus but he doesnt
know any poetry at all especially English poetry. He knew an Irish
poem once but it was about fairies and had no sign of a highwayman in
it. Still hell ask the men in his local pub where theres always someone
reciting something and hell bring it back to me.Wont I be busy mean-
while reading my short history of England and finding out all about
their perfidy.Thats what Seamus says, perfidy, and I dont know what
it means and he doesnt know what it means but if its something the
English do it must be terrible.
He comes three times a week to mop the floor and the nurse is
there every morning to take my temperature and pulse. The doctor
listens to my chest with the thing hanging from his neck.They all say,
And hows our little soldier today? A girl with a blue dress brings meals
three times a day and never talks to me. Seamus says shes not right in
the head so dont say a word to her.
The July days are long and I fear the dark.There are only two ceil-
ing lights in the ward and theyre switched off when the tea tray is taken
away and the nurse gives me pills.The nurse tells me go to sleep but I
cant because I see people in the nineteen beds in the ward all dying and
green around their mouths where they tried to eat grass and moaning
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