Hospital Canteen

I’m sat in the hospital canteen
Where all of life can be seen
I look at people around me
With coffees or cups of tea
A couple are sharing a laugh
Are they visitors or staff?
A man sits staring into space
Red eyes in a tired drawn face
Is someone that he cares for
No longer with us anymore
Someone close to death or dead
Or worse terminally ill instead
Maybe he’s visiting a survivor
Or a new mum on the top floor
A lot of staff use the facilities
Doctors nurses or ancillaries
Is this a fresh day beginning?
Or a long night shift ending
There’s an outpatient I can see
Could be for x-ray physio or ENT
Two security men both partake
Drinking coffee and eating cake
A young paramedic wanders in
Buys a coffee and is gone again
Tables clear and are then refilled
By a group of men who build
So why am I sat here observing?
Its what I do when I’m not serving

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