The Radiator Has a Tummy Ache
I once prescribed tablets
to the old microwave,
mourned the lemon squeezer,
I hadn't used in a decade.
I remember hearing the kettle
having an asthma attack,
and running to pull out
the plug from its back.
I suggested the radio
stick to one station, tried
to fix the funny noise
the radiator was making.
Now the nurse lends me a smile,
makes me warm in my bed
I shut my eyes tight;
see me pulling a blanket
over the hole in the shed.
The Radiator Has a Tummy Ache
by Carlotta Eden
Kathryn Corlett (left) is an illustrator and graphic designer based in south London. She works with a variety of materials – pencils, paints and digital textures. Her illustrative work is mostly editorial and she has recently had work published in New Internationalist Magazine, Transmitter Magazine and STIR to Action Magazine. www.kathryncorlett.co.uk @kathryncorlett