To celebrate their sister

They marched against the rules

Of walking over long distances

Especially uphill in the rough.

But they marched

With their shouldered drum

And an upside-down flag held oblique,

Singing: 'Marching Along'.

With dropped feet and MCR [1] shoes

And timbrels gripped with a claw

They marched all determined

In October's blazing heat.

They marched dripping sweat (if they could) [2]

But sang with deepest feeling (though some had none) [3]

And yodelled their love

For their sister.

Residents of the Chikankata Leprosy Settlement say goodbye to Joy Hetherington.

[2]  Autonomic nerve damage can cause failure of sweating in leprosy

[3]  Sensory nerve damage - a feature of leprosy