In Memory of Mark

You phoned to say you felt ill
So we went round to find you in bed
Barely able to move.
Before I took you to hospital
I dressed you
Combed your hair for the first time in my life
And the last time in yours.
You died later that day.
Everything seemed fine
Until you had a cardiac arrest
The doctors fought for your life
But I knew you had lost.
Days later we went back to your flat
And, unbelievably, in the space of two afternoons
Packed away your life
Thirty-four years never seemed so empty.
Before the funeral
We dressed you in your favourite suit
Wrapped your neck in a Liverpool scarf
And filled your pockets with family photos
So you wouldn’t feel alone.
When it came to football
You were as you were in life
Never a terraces man
More a sidelines, sofa supporter
But oh what we wouldn’t do now
To hear your cheers

Back to Poems menu