today the park is aggressive/ the trees are shy &
introverted/ is there any clue from the overcast
sky of brighter days to come?/ even the natural
world has become sullen/ absorbing the city
surrounding it & then a mad woman/ chasing
my dogs out from beneath a big fig swollen with
moisture/ coming towards me from her park camp
with a stick/ she seemed so full of hate/ i said
'hello'/ 'you fucking murderer', she screamed/
'thieving stealing bitch'/ 'ring the police'/ 'ring
the police'/ 'you fucking murderer'/ to the mad
woman that murdered her own life/ rattling the
city with spit & hate/ i am sorry/ i approached a
council worker in the park/ i said to him 'do you
know about the mad woman? she came at me with
a stick/ i am alright/ i can look after myself/ but
what about children?'/ he said 'don't bother about
her/ she pushes her pram around the streets/ sleeps
on railway stations/ receives her weekly injections/
they're all out of the hospitals these days'/ 'but
what about the kids that play in the park?'/ then he
shrugged/ 'they probably get the same treatment at
home'/ 'yeah' i agreed as i walked away/ 'by the way',
he called after me/ 'are your two dogs registered?'
