The last month or so has not been a prolific writing time for me, but here is what I have penned:
What Is and What Will Be
The plasma filtered
Red blood cells returned
Topped up with saline.
It feels good to share
The vital fluid of life
A milkshake and party pies my reward.
Then on to have my feet seen to
Trimming up those nails
Polishing off gnarled skin.
The people who do these things
Part of the vital infrastructure
Catering to Society’s needs.
And so many more around
Who provide a health service
That 100 years ago did not exist.
My mind wanders to the future
Assuming humankind survives
What kind of services will We provide?
Upgrading of our bionic chips?
The buffing of our brains?
Renovation of our working parts?
Some things we fail to predict
Others defy the laws of physics
Patience the only solution.
I don’t think I’ll be beamed up
At least anytime soon
But the mind can boggle at the options.
When magic becomes science
All will marvel, at first
But the wonder will soon dissolve.
The memory fast disappearing
As lives are gradually lost
New faces accepting what is there.
Brian Matthews 4-4-24
Carving a Path
I have my health
I have my family
A full life to rejoice.
Yet life seems full of fog
A murky scene beholden
The light shaded by my view.
The lens of one troubled
Partly by the realities of life
Wars and gratuitous stabbings.
But more by the lack of joy within
A failure to see the glimmers of light
Clouds obscuring the glistening.
We all have down times
Of that we are all aware
Holding back the dark until the sun appears.
But sometimes it is so hard to do
Bogged down by self created mire
The surrounding joy unappreciated.
This too shall pass
The mantra always helps
Carve a path back to the light.
Brian Matthews 19-4-24
A Final Choice
A phone call comes
A neighbour passed away
Making his final choice.
Fortunate to be living in a time
And in a place
Where such a decision can be made.
For many this is still not a reality
Due to unfirm mind
Societal or family opposition.
The slow decline
Can muddy the waters
Each day just a little worse than the last.
And some battle bravely
Gasping for each breath
Unwilling to leave loved ones.
One size does not fit all
Especially on this final path
Going who knows where.
Brian Matthews 19-4-24
A Milestone Reached
A photo sent to me
Marking an important event
100 times donating blood or plasma.
About three years ago
I reached the mark of 50
A lifetime of irregular donations.
And then I realised
That plasma can be given
Much more frequently than blood.
Having a common blood type
My plasma is more helpful
To the many needing blood products.
Apparently only 3% donate
Yet one in three will need it
Such a huge discrepancy.
So, I’ll do my bit
Thankful that I still can give
Helping others that I do not know.
Brian Matthews 19-4-24
Beyond the Haze
A visit to friends
A message from beyond
Leaves me wondering.
In modern times we think
That so much is known
Yet huge gaps exist.
And so it will be
Even a century from now
Questions always remain.
A veil hangs over all
We get a peek behind it
From time to time.
Becoming certain of this and that
But even such surety
Can be swiftly set aside.
When a novel view is taken
An approach not previously considered
A neglected lens employed.
Brian Matthews 1/5/24
What of the future?
The young man said to me
Artificial Intelligence will kill us all
Extinguish all humanity in a dreadful pall.
How do young people grow with hope
When they’re fed such as this?
No hint of increasing bliss.
The future is covered
By a heavy veil
But this does not mean we should joy curtail.
Or refuse to see
Possibilities that show the best
Putting humanity to its hardest test.
We know that things can improve
If to the wheel of life we put our shoulders
Clearing away the detritus and boulders.
Toxic positivity is not the way
But each of us can carve a path
In which others can take a bath.
Surrounded by outcomes
Of those who’ve gone ahead
Creating a better future instead.
Brian Matthews 6-5-24
Brian’s Reflections 