Harvey

Tabloid revelations, the nation shocked, no surprise:-

‘Blair secret promise to Bush on Iraq Invasion’

On my table, a newspaper, a gin and tonic, and a tin of cashews. Deathly silence, all around, except for muffled whispers about lamb stew, marble cake, and household renovations. No background music, no crooners, no big band.

The Prince Albert, a jovial free house in the Fens, waits in silence, hard and soft cover books on dusty shelves. Old wall tiles, and classic vinyl from the sixties, a bonus at 20p, the proceeds going to a worthy cause.

She sits alone, dressed in black, doodling on a small table with condensation from a pint on a soggy coaster, a poppy pinned to her coat. Thinking of him, so proud in his 6th Regiment uniform, standing tall and bold, smiling at the lens of a forgotten cameraman, smart in the small oak picture frame on her table.

A dozen well-wishers say goodbye, and leave her with a large swollen envelope, the proceeds accumulated over the past three weeks, a few hundred in coins, notes, and cheques.

For Harvey, written on the front.

monumental lies,
weapons of mass destruction,
so much loss and pain.