Monument

Poem by Jackie Hagan. Animation made by Marnanel Thurman as part of the short film "Sickos" about chronic illness, for the 2019 Sick Festival, in Manchester, England.



Here lies Jackie Hagan.
She is finally free
from her disability,
from the constant pills that made her drunk
so quickly and so inexpensively,
free from the attention she was warned about
that she courted,
blissful.

Free from her disability,
her favourite colour,
her sexuality,
and small, bearlike gender identity.

Here lies Jackie Hagan.

She is free from being
working class.
Maybe now she will be able to
pronounce "chimley" right,
and drink wine
at a ladylike speed.

One fine dark night with a fine dark sky
And fine-sliced moon so bright,
A Cat leapt forth with a fine black coat
And paws of moonlit white;
If I should ask you to say her name
I'm sure you'd tell me that
She's Yantantessera,
Tessera, Tessera,
Tessera Tessera, Cat.

She had no humans, she had no home,
She had no meals to eat,
But soon, by means of a friendly purr,
Adopted half a street,
Where twenty humans would serve her food:
They all had time to chat
With Yantantessera,
Tessera, Tessera,
Tessera Tessera, Cat.

The Cats' Home heard, and they swore to find
The Cat a Home, and thus
She started work as a Rescue Cat
Who came to rescue us.
And since that day, we belong to her;
We're proud to share a flat
With Yantantessera,
Tessera, Tessera,
Tessera Tessera, Cat!