‘Lament of the Lowly Rusty Tea Strainer’

Drink in, if you will, these highlights from the poem “Lament of the Lowly Rusty Tea Strainer,” by Fred J. Johnston, published in the journal Laboratory Medicine (Volume 11, Issue 6, 1 June 1980):

…So oft have I been clogged with crud

That’s mixed with tarry clotted blood.

I’ve often seen a tapeworm dead

And helped to find its scolex head….

…When kidneys failed and stones were free,

Much amber liquid flowed through me.

Those gorgeous gallstones, golden-green,

Have often flowed within my screen.

No cloak of gold I’ll e’er be dressed

To cover up this rusty crust.

My service now has come to rest;

I bear no medals on my breast.

Alas! I know it can never be

That I’ll be used for brewing tea!