Back to Walking

Veronica's verse account of how she's returned to walking.

 

Two years I’ve not been able

to climb the slightest hill; 

my heart was beating double time

and didn’t have the will

to drive me forwards, up that slope - 

I’d just run out of puff.

The wish to climb was still in me,

but wishing’s not enough.

 

Tried pills galore, to no avail,

they sometimes made me worse.

You tell a medic that, you know,

and he’ll just swear and curse

and tell you that you’re quite, quite wrong

those pills just don’t do that,

but, in the end, one comes along

and agrees “It’s rare but fact”.

 

With pills not rightly working,

they shook their heads and sighed,

“What can we try now this has failed?”

and one of them replied,

“The engine that this body drives

has somewhere come apart;

just like we do with motor-cars,

how about we try a jump start?”

 

This too did fail, not once, but twice,

after a week or two.

“That’s useless then,” – they scratched their heads,

“What are we now to do?”

“That new procedure, what’s it called?”

“Ablation.” “That’s the thing,

and if it works, when that we try,

her life back it will bring.”

 

They told me what they’d have to do –

I found it quite enthralling,

although some aspects of the op.

did seem vaguely appalling.

However, ‘twas the only hope

to retrieve my active ways.

“It’s worth a try,” I told them straight

“for I’m not one to laze.”

 

They scratched my heart (no details now),

but that is how it’s done;

instead of beats one forty four

it now beats fifty one.

My life’s been given back to me,

it gives me so much pleasure

to feel free to play at badminton

or go walking at my leisure.

 

It makes me feel so happy

I can live a normal life,

I want to call on everyone,

the whole world and his wife,

“Come join with me, come raise your glass,

be quick, I cannot wait,

I’ve completed a full week of walks,

I want to celebrate!”

 

V. Tomkins.