I rarely go by bus but when I do
For safety’s sake I choose a seat well back.
Today the bus was crowded like a zoo,
My seat companion wore a plastic mac,
He looked quite foreign, dark, and rather nervous.
To break the ice I said “It’s very warm”,
He rolled his eyes and said that God would save us,
Began to rant and wildly wave his arm.
I looked around but no-one seemed to notice,
And I am jammed against the window, blocked,
So can’t get past this madman now at prayer
Intoning loudly “God will not be mocked”.
To calm him down I asked “Why are you here? ”
“Suicide bomber”, he whispered in my ear.
10/8/03
Pete Crowther
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-secret-whisper/
