Chatting with a fellow patient

Chatting with a fellow patient

(Lawrence Helm)

“Well that’s that!” he said

Standing up and dusting himself off.

He obviously thought the Islamists done.

I thought so too and turned

When he did and had he not taken

The brunt of the blast

Would have been much worse –

Perhaps as he was, dead.

They all said it couldn’t be helped –

Those fellows had nothing better to do.

They were, they said, quite poor

Except for the bombs and guns.

They could afford those

Or perhaps not. Some said

They were gifts from the Saudis

Which might be a Bedouin thing.

What does one need on one’s

Camel if not a bomb and a gun?

I managed to walk to the end

Of the hall without falling. Quite good,

They told me. Everything looks that way.