Judo Suits Poem by Mark Heathcote

Job-wise learning difficulties
it's not the easiest
it's challenging work, low paid
at times rewarding, even fun
or a paper trail charade.

Caring for one giant of a man
who'd finish all his sentences?
With the word (then)
fish & chips (then)
cup of tea (then) - have a bath (then) .

Would intimidate-many-folks
his sheer size and bulk
6ft 2 - his rugged demeanor
new careers looked thunderstruck
head for the nearest exit-

But to be fair, on the whole
He could be a gentle soul.
One thing he didn't tolerate
were clothes tags, zips, and laces
he'd tear off his clothes.

He'd-smash-up the plates
and break a few china-cups
that was all a part of it,
how we dealt with his anxieties.

We'd laugh at his improprieties
we'd laugh & share in the joke
in his happier moments
but-clothes-wise in the end:
we had to buy him - judo suits.