The Midwife

On that cold foggy morning in fifty eight

Sue jumped out of bed, she was once again late,

Quickly donned uniform of white and blue

rolled up her stockings, a toe pushed through.

Cursing to herself she headed down the hall

jumped on her bike leant against the wall,

A cheery good morning to a passing friend

she cycled away toward the East end.

The old black bike was a real bone shaker

she had to be careful not to meet her maker,

Trying to keep control with a heavy bag

as Sue arrived she was starting to flag.

Dear Mrs Davies was heavy with child

eleven other children ran around wild.

Wearing ragged clothes and jam stained faces

no running water in these dirty places.

She wondered how she’d manage, how she’d cope

with water in the yard and no sign of soap,

Then Jane turned up, there she stood at the door

her saviour had bailed her out once more.

Jane was a natural, a young fresh faced girl

with perfect features, below a kiss curl,

Sue recalled the moment just three months before

when she’d stood on that step, staring at the floor.

She’d arrived at the mission house that afternoon

knocked on the door on a sunny day in June.

A young pretty girl said ‘Hi I’m Jane, hello

give me your case and I’ll take you below.

The hallway was spotless with bottle green tiles

the brown bare floorboards seemed to go on for miles,

They were highly polished shone just like glass

led to green doors with shiny handles of brass.

The room in the basement was dingy and cold

‘Here we are’ said Jane, ‘Welcome to the fold’.

A lumpy mattress lay across an iron bed,

not very welcoming for a sleepy head.

The kitchen upstairs was the warmest place

where they ate their meals after saying grace,

The Sister was strict, no heart, no messing

wouldn’t give anyone any sort of blessing.

The East End was appalling, slums all around

roads had holes so deep, a child could have drowned,

The homes were so bad we had to work in pairs

as everything was carried up flights of stairs.

With all the things needed our bags weighed a ton

climbing up those steep stairs was no kind of fun,

Fresh human excrement was lay everywhere

you'd soon come a cropper if you didn't take care.

Sue managed to get used to it, soon found her way

got used to the routine, every single day,

Delivered her first baby within a week

a baptism of fire for someone so meek.

She thought nothing could shock her any more

till she visited a home upon the sixth floor.

The flat was filthy, the worst she'd ever seen

plaster hung from the walls, it was really unclean.

Baby was delivered with no fuss or ado

she turned to the mother asked her for the loo,

Said it wasn't working it was blocked up again

back down those stairs, she poured the slops down a drain.

Those poor families just lived the best they could

most of them were friendly, wholesome and good.

One mother offered her a nice cup of char

first time she'd drank tea from an old jam jar!

Another house Sue went to - had a real bath

but they'd filled it with coal she really had to laugh,

They had a fireplace, that was all that could be said

she looked around the room, couldn't see a bed.

Perhaps there was a bed, in the other room, maybe

asked the young mother -where she'd have her baby,

She pointed to the tot standing at the door

said she'd had that one, upon the kitchen floor.

Then a neighbour arrived, never said a thing

helped the young mother, took her under her wing,

Ushered her through a front door, across the way

then into a room where a pristine bed lay.

As the old woman spoke, she said no more

''She'll not have my Grandson on a dirty floor''.

With the help of the mother the birth went quite well

another baby born into a world of hell.

Sue was brought back by the sound of Jane's voice

''Better light the fire, it's as cold as ice''

Within half an hour the kids stared in awe

at their new baby sister snuggled in a draw.

With no law, no lighting, just bedbugs and fleas

babies born by candlelight chance of disease,

Yet a strong sense of community shone through

Eastenders ever faithful, loyal and true.

Deliveries numbered about thirty a week

times were so hard and the future looked bleak,

Then the birth pill came through in sixty one

weekly births dropped to two, social change had begun.

Now those tenement slums have all long gone

but the violence and squalor still carry on,

With stabbings and murders most every day

not safe on the streets where the children play.

As sue sits - reflects - on those days long ago

watching her grandchildren playing in the snow,

Though her time in the East end was challenging

there's one thing for sure, she wouldn't change a thing.