Nina…

Nina…

They called her tea bags

A pet name

Between her and the other

Admin staff

Not widely known by clinicians

Or physicians

But I knew

She put two bags in her cup

Left them in until the spoon stood up

She edited my reports proofread a book

Put my work at the head of the queue

I was grateful, I hope she knew

She retired, moved down South

Way down onto the Devon coast

To be there for her mum

In her final days

The person she loved the most

I suppose

As for the rest

She has a marmalade cat

With one ear

And reads Bulgakov

Her, not the cat

I don’t know what he reads

Old Tom Elliot would know

He had a way of talking cattish

Nina went to the Isle of Wight festival

Back in the day

Saw Jimi play

As did I

We didn’t see each other then

Too many people trippin’

To find Wally, let alone

Somebody they had yet to know

We both had a way to go

Before the other shoe fell

And she was there for me

I hope I was there for her

It seems she is doing well

Is still wholly anti-Brexit

Wishes she could fix it

Bury Boris

In his own selfish horse shit

And is proud to be called a Devonian.