SPENT

White, uniforms converge bright-eyed

to coax, change and adjust him.

Young, eager to show no holds are barred,

they manipulate his bulk like navvies,

find purpose in sores, faeces, tubes,

maintain this flaccid mechanism,

once cock of the walk who reckoned to tread

every hen that fluttered across his path.

Now he sucks on each rationed cigarette

like a salving last request, wastes

his stock of words on what’s served up

as food and who can’t be arsed to visit,

swivels pale eyes up and down

these ayahs who rearrange his fragments.