Before you I never had poo underneath my fingernails. Before you I never even thought about getting poo underneath my fingernails. Before you my wife (your mum) and I would wake up on Sundays and smile at the 11am on our clock. We would debate for an hour over having fried eggs or poached eggs until we settled on having fried eggs and poached eggs. Before you I did not have little Rice Krispy skin tags on my neck. Before you I had a healthy relationship with sleep. Before you I would call my friends and family because I had time to call my friends and family. Before you I forgot to walk on walls with arms splayed our like a tightrope walker or to step on high street slabs, avoiding the cracks that are definitely electric. I forgot to spend my days looking up and asking people in my my life “why is that like that”.

Carl Burkitt 2024