Rosie, the Erythrocyte

by Sharon Hammad

Rosie, the erythrocyte,
Is ruby-red and shiny-bright,
Flexible and superquick,
Pushing on through thin and thick.
Rosie’s mostly haemoglobin
(That’s a protein rich in iron)
Aiding gaseous regulation
Inside Michael’s circulation,
Heart to lungs and back again,
Then to liver, stomach, brain,
Muscles, vertebrae and skin,
Bringing vital oxygen.
Taking out the toxins, too,
Turns her vivid red to blue.
Everywhere that Rosie’s been
Is a renovated scene.
But, alas, though she is clever,
Rosie cannot live forever.
One day Rosie comes a cropper
As a macrophage gobstopper...
Rosie’s life was full, if brief:
Yet it is no cause for grief.
Rosie’s gone but what’s for certain
This is not the final curtain.
Rosie’s remnants will recycle
Into newer cells for Michael
So he grows up fit and stronger
And can bicycle for longer,
Maybe win Olympic medals
Thanks to Rosie-powered pedals.
If you want a healthy body,
Do not treat your red cells shoddy.
To provide them with protection
Eat your greens without objection!