On A Wing And A Prayer

May God protect

My Mother and Me

Since she was almost 

Lost at sea

A heart attack

Whilst sailing the ocean

Almost took her to heaven

As The Spirit of Adventure was in motion

The ship aptly named

Given my 80 year old Mum

Is generally as spritely

As they come

For off she had headed

On a cruise around the Bahamas

Excited as a child on Christmas Eve

Unwittingly unsuspecting of any looming dramas

They journeyed around

For several weeks

My intermittent updates

Were happy and upbeat

Until one day 

Her emotional tide turned

And she wept to me

That for Dad and home she yearned

Be careful what you wish for

And where you consider ‘home’

For what is around the corner

Cannot always be known

Thus, little did I realise

That could’ve been our last ever conversation

And that during that night she’d be 

In an emergency situation

I couldn’t reach her at all

The whole of the next day

Though I tried, I frustratingly failed

So I just had to wait

Until I clocked a missed call

From a number in Felixstowe

And then the Universe dealt me

The horrifically crushing blow

That she’d fainted then been flown

To the edge of Spain

Placed in intensive care

– the colour literally drained

From my face 

From my entire being

The enormity of what I was hearing

Had me inwardly screaming!!!

Immediately I demanded

They get me there!!!

I called the Passport Office

In utter despair!!!

Please, please hurry!!!

The actual f**k up!!!

Moomin is in jeopardy!!!

Give me my book!!!

I grilled her insurance company 

As to my rights

I scanned the internet

For direct flights!!!

Few and far between 

To her location

And Sod’s Law would dictate

The Storm Eowyn situation!!!

The ONLY flight

The day that it hit!!!

From London Gatwick

A six hour trip!!!

On the plane, off the plane

Cause a bloke got sick!!!

Back on again 

We flew into the thick of it!!!

Tossed around

In an angry sky

Almost crashing on descent

Then vertically back up did we fly!!!

On to the next 

Available airport

But that by the raging storm 

Had also been caught

So further yet we flew

As I contemplated how much fuel

This plane had in its tank

And how much good karma I had left in the bank!!!

And all the while 

Was my Mother utterly alone

Confused and afraid

Wondering why I didn’t answer the phone!!!

You couldn’t make it up!!!

This diabolical luck!!!

Or were we actually blessed???

Was there a silver lining somewhere in this mess????!!!

My plane did eventually land!!!

And the airline did lay on a bus

To bring us back to A Coruna

(Which broke down before it delivered us…!)

In a frazzled and frantic state

Only a mere EIGHT HOURS late!!!

Although at least we’d made it alive

And hadn’t been marmalised!!!

Yet this delay meant I had to endure

Another agonising night

Apart from my dear Mother

Who’d been fighting heroically for her life!!!

I KNEW that she was now stable

And out of intensive care

I KNEW the doctors and nurses

Were looking after her!!!!

But, Jesus Christ – give me strength!!!

What Almighty lengths!!!

I’ve had to struggle to get through

Just to hold my Mum – boo hoo!!!!

Just to see her angelic face!!!

Just to hold her tiny hand!!!

Just to hear her youthful voice!!!

Just to comfort her and understand 

Exactly how this came about?

How Moomin almost checked out?

And to learn if she’ll fully recover?

For, bless her, she’s a fighter, God love her!!!

She’s cheated the Reaper

A gazillion times!

And I’m praying she’ll cheat him

Again this time!

For I cannot lose her

For the foreseeable, you see,

She’s all I’ve got and she’s staying here with me!

Do you understand???

Are you listening good?

Oh Mr Reaper, please, be gone,

And let Moomin and me off the hook!!! 

🙏🥹🙏