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.