Dear Doctor

Dear Medical Professional, You will ask about his medical history, And I will repeat the story I have told 100 times or more, The details fine tuned to the essentials I know you need: He was born full term, He has a 7 year old brother who is fit and well, He is allergic to penicillin.  You will ask me what happened, And I will answer: He is 6 years old. He wasn't breathing for 7 minutes. I gave him mouth to mouth. I will hand over a careful typed piece of A4 paper. It will tell you his hospital number, The things he is allergic to, A list of medications and doses. You will take it and smile. You'll tell me I make your job easier. I will stand calm, And in control.  You see my demeanour, my hospital bags packed and ready, And you say, You've done this before. I'll nod and say many times. But remember this; That 6 year old is my baby. That boy with the oxygen, And the wires, And the tubes, Is my son. I watched him turn bl
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Do they know those days are golden?


I've listened to Elbow’s ‘lippy kids’ a lot lately and it fills me with a sense of melancholy. If you've not heard it (and you should - click the link below) it’s about a man reflecting on the carefree days of youth as he watches the kids hanging around a street corner. 

“Do they know those days are golden?” he asks.

And they don't do they? We don't realise how quick the time flies, how suddenly things can change. How precious and sacred the naive innocence of youth. 

“Build a rocket boys” he urges.

Make the most of now. Grab life with both hands. For in this moment, in this moment of innocence you can achieve anything. The whole world is yours for the taking.


I am sat in town watching a group of teenagers playing table tennis on one of the many tables that have sprung up around the city, inviting passersby to stop and play for free as part of a nationwide ‘Ping’ event.  I am filled with that familiar sense of melancholy. I want to shake them and tell them to make the most of these precious care free days; to bank these memories, to remember these feelings, to appreciate how simple and uncomplicated life can be. I feel like I have been robbed of my innocence somehow, that my eyes have been opened to a cruel world that I never realised existed before. I feel real pain at that loss. I long for the days when things were simple, when my child growing up and going to school were just things I took for granted. I wish my eyes hadn't been opened and my heart scalded by the fear that one day I will lose him.


And yet conversely, these days are golden.  

I have hours and hours of video footage and photos and banked memories to remind me of these precious precious days. It remains unspoken but there in the back of my mind is the thought that one day, these memories, these photos will be all I have. No doubt then, I will want to come back in time and shake myself, remind myself how precious these days are.


Do you know these days are golden?



Comments

  1. Anonymous8 August 2012 at 23:23

    Big, snotty tears. Lovely song, lovely mum, gorgeous boy x

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  2. Unknown9 August 2012 at 08:42

    Another lovely post. You write from the heart and I think your words touch the heart of everyone who reads them. xx

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  3. Little Mama Murphy9 August 2012 at 17:54

    Thanks Areyoukiddingney and Nanny Anne . I appreciate the kind words and that you took the time to read and comment. Promise I wasn't trying to make you cry though! :D

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  4. Looking for Blue Sky9 August 2012 at 23:26

    I don't think that I can watch the video as I am welling up just reading this, I usually just squash these feelings, though to be fair I really really made the most of being young when I was :)

    ReplyDelete

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