the river
is filled
with the sea
a tug pulls
a square barge
under the bridge
St Thomas’
is lit with
the sick
you can’t see
the Thames
from your ward
but it is brown
and choppy tonight
and a gale blows
after the hospital heat
I walked out
into the rush-hour
and feel the wind
in your place
back on the bridge
I can finally
taste brine
Westminster Bridge
24 January 2018
Oxford
25 January 2018
I visited an ill friend at St Thomas’ Hospital in London on 24 January 2018.