Goulburn Hospital
The women of my family end up in hospital beds
Surrounded by the people they spend their lives looking after
It’s not meant to be ironic
But it feels strange
Our bodies owned by something else
In the hospital beds
I’ve visited the women
I’m part of who they are
Our eyes are embarrassed to recognised how the same we are
Our Maltese roots of spirals and stone
Mix with the plastic tubes and
Out of place jokes and
Tears
It was once my mother
And her mother
And I imagine it being me
The women in my family
In their hospital beds
End up not know why
They are beaten
And thrown on the floor
And punched in the chest
And told what’s wrong with the world
We end up lying in a hospital bed
What’s illness got to do with that?
And all the women in my family feel
Is guilt and shame
Hidden under white blankets
Saying thank you thank you I love you
