Herat
Not that we were
repeat offenders or
anything of the sort,
but they still led us
outside the city limits
and made us stand
on either side of a road
from where we could
see each other
till the bricks
reached eye level.
The mason gently
tapped one to
true the alignment
then laid another row.
I wonder if you heard
the grating sound
his trowel made
as he scraped
the bottom of the hod.
It set my teeth on edge.