He stared me down
His gaze seemed to scan for some object
somewhere behind my back
to my right
amidst the heap of dirty rags
lying at my feet
somewhere under my soles
He talked and he talked and he talked
for his sake
for the sake of the walls
for the sake of a public
of dull, bleating sheep
He talked and he talked and he talked
while he digested his lunch
to kill some time
to thwart the sun filtering through
despite the black ring surrounding the city
He talked and he talked and he talked
showing off all his know-how with his fists
and the handcuffs that dangled from his belt
like an emblem of power
– ‘Solidarity, self-defence!
What a meaningless
pile of shit!
It’s none of your business
Solidarity
it’s in your interest
to seek solidarity with yourself, your children, your family
it’s every man for himself out there
you need to be crafty
your interests, and yours alone!’
– ‘…’
– ‘Socialism you say
It’ll never catch on with Arabs
Let’s talk about Russia
over there, they got women climbing ladders
and carrying sacks of cement on their backs
women – do you understand what I’m saying
is that what you call socialism?
Do you know that our kids who go study in Russia
take pairs of blue jeans and shoes with them
because people pay top dollar for them?
Is that the future you want for us?’
– ‘…’
– ‘And what about China, eh?
You admire the Chinese, don’t you?
So where’s Lin Biao
who was the first to wave the Little Red Book about
why did he run away
unless he actually realised
his country was headed for ruin?’
– ‘…’
– ‘If only people listened to me
I’d round up all the Reds and slit their throats
We can get along with pretty much everyone
even Republicans
but not the Reds’
– ‘…’
– ‘Socialism you say
but who’s really a socialist in the Middle East?
Only those penniless,
flea-ridden Yemenis
but as for us, thank God,
and everyone’s got enough to eat
Unemployment? Nothing but bullshit
it’s just slackers who dodge honest work
choosing instead to be drug dealers and thieves’
– ‘…’
– ‘Socialism, communism
it’s just one black hole after another
that’s all, they’re just ideas
and ideas evolve
they’re like mountains that never meet
Solidarity, self-defence
seek solidarity with yourself
it’s every man for himself out there
and look after your own interests!’
He talked and he talked and he talked
hurling his words against the wall of my silence
and that voice
with its repulsive stench of opportunism
which stank like the latrines of the Old World
flew right over my head
and got lost
somewhere behind my back
to my right
amidst the pile of dirty rags
lying at my feet
somewhere under my soles