Yesterday in Mare Street
A girl full of bandages came and asked me for help
I don't feel well, she went, I need to reach home
Can you go by bus, I asked?
Two buses, the fare is sixteen pounds and thirty pee
I can give you ten pounds, I said, would that help?
She took the note and said give me sixteen pounds and thirdy pee
I'll pay you back
I didn't
I said: you should be able to get more money if you carry on asking people
She said, no one will help - I've tried
You stopped me, I said, we will stop others.
We started trying to stop people
The two improbable objects of charity
for the Caribbean population of Hackney Central
too white, too out of the job system, too out of the passing community
she belonged two buses away, i belonged two planes away
or maybe i didn't belong at all
but i did ask for help, i did try to attract the attention of the passers by
one by one
face, gesture, posture, hands, eye contact
but she just got angrier and angrier
no one will stop
no one will help
no one stopped, no one helped
she went away, i went my way
and then came back, she had disappeared.
Les enfants maghrebins de la place du Caquet
apparaient toujours avec un petit salam aleicum
ils regardent tes yeux et après ils te demande un euro
et encore un euro
et encore un
il ne te laissent pas, sauf si tu cris
J'ai crié pour un minute leur salam aleicum l'autre jour
et ils disparaient pour toujours.
In which side of the border hangs sanity?
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