As a child I used to say deadly when something was good.
I will in my hole when I wouldn’t.
So language is reversed; esteemed colleagues, learned friends —
the general is making a speech about the killing
of innocent children: Not on my watch!
A Rolex, the minute hand is pure gold.
The transcript sounds like a self-help book
for all those who want to live with a deeper,
more profound sense of despair —
while the boys played baseball
with the statue of Pallas Athene —
his eyes were glued to the peep-hole.
Thank you my general, thank you my learned friend,
for your deadly deposition.
Back home, his wife runs a wellness centre.
Van Cleef & Arpels. Nuit des Papillons.
A stop-over in Paris for a fragrance
by Yves Saint Laurent.
Every general should have a drop-dead wife
to round out the picture.
Laurence O’Dwyer | The Backpacking Generals
Contents | Mudlark No. 75 (2023)