Tuesday Poem: “Teddy” by Glenn Colquhoun
Teddy
…for a child with leukaemia
Teddy was not well.
Teddy had been feeling sick.
Teddy had to go to hospital.
Teddy was told that he had too much blood.
Teddy did not miss his friends.
Teddy knew the thermometer was not sharp.
Teddy was not scared of needles.
Teddy said the medicine would make him better.
Teddy closed his eyes at night.
Teddy ate his vegetables.
.
Teddy’s small girl lay in the corner of his bed.
She was not so sure.
Her eyes were made from round buttons.
The fluff on the top of her head was worn
As though it had been chewed.
.
© Glenn Colquhoun, published in Playing God, Steele Roberts, 2002
Reproduced here with permission.
—
About the Poem:
On October 11 I featured Glenn Colquhoun’s poem “She asked me if she took one pill …” as my Tuesday Poem, here. In the background to that poem I wrote:
“On September 16, in a post titled Reflections on What I’m Reading, I talked about poet and doctor Glenn Colquhoun’s speech on “The Therapeutic Uses of Ache” to the Royal College of General Practitioners in Wellington in 2009—and how re-reading it “reminded me all over again what an acute observer Glenn Colquhoun is and how I need to read his collection Playing God again, and maybe even share some of the poems with you of a Tuesday.”
Playing God was published in 2002 to a level of critical and popular acclaim not often afforded poetry collections, receiving the Montana Award for Poetry and the Montana Readers’ Choice Award at the 2003 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.
The collection draws on Colquhoun’s experience of medicine … and reflects humour, pathos … frustration and heartbreak …”
No poem expresses that pathos more, in my opinion, than Teddy, and although I chose another poem on October 11, I always wanted to feature Teddy as well—and am very glad to be able to do so here today.
Otherwise I feel the poem very much speaks for itself and anything else I have to say would only get in the way of that.
—
About the Poet:
Glenn Colquhoun is a doctor, poet and children’s writer. His first poetry collection, The Art of Walking Upright, won Best First Book of Poetry at the 2000 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. In 2003 he won the Poetry Category and also became the first poet to be awarded the coveted Montana Readers’ Choice Award, both awards for Playing God. He has written several children’s books and has been the convener of the New Zealand Post Book Awards. In 2004, Colquhoun was the recipient of the prestigious Prize in Modern Letters.
—
To read the featured poem on the Tuesday Poem Hub and other great poems from fellow Tuesday poets around the world, click here or on the Quill icon in the sidebar.
Amazing poem. Thanks for sharing, Helen.
Elizabeth: the more I read it the more amazing I think it is, especially the way he has ‘reversed’ the little girl and ‘teddy’ to such powerful effect.
What a moving poem.
Yes. There are many moving poems in Playing God, but this one gets me every time. I can always “see” the scene painted so vividly.
Extremely poignant. What a fantastic and sad poem. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Alicia!
wow, so sad.
It is, isn’t it? But with so much pain and suffering in the world reduced to ‘sound bytes’ a poem like this, which addresses a profound sadness, somehow feels correspondingly real and true. And although the language is spare and matter-of-fact, or perhaps because it is, the compassion shines through.
I heard the panel discussion with Glenn on National Radio on Sunday – what an amazing and talented man! He read out his wonderful essay ‘On Ache” (I think that is what it was called). Thanks for introducing me to his poems via your blog and I can’t wait for his book of essays!
Charlotte, I think the essays will be fascinating: who knows, I may even request an interview … (watch this space!)