use it or lose it

'arry spider is doing your chores
with his long, helpful tentacles
dressing your suppurating sores
in zinc bandages.
when they amputate your leg
he will push your wheelchair
(your flat is already accessible).
he will hold a service of remembrance,
perhaps he will release 99
red balloons in the air?
99 messages of condolence;
saying your leg lived life to the full,
meaning your leg is dead
before its fortieth birthday,
99 donations to the charity of absent
minds and broken hearts (sponsored
by Carling), 5 times 99 toasts,
one to each missing metatarsal.

let's get the long handled  lump hammer
out the back of the van and start smashing things up.
our father calls it Eli, he says,
at least when Eli's finished,
though nothing is certain,
everything certainly will be new,
and 'arry spider will be crouching
in the dust, choking on the splinters,
squirming beneath the heel
of your well healed foot.