Where had he come from, this pitiful derelict

cast away dying from a moving truck?

From little white boxlike home on searing sand

sheltering under the tall green fronds,

an elegant Riad from more prosperous days,.

or a stifling windowless den in a rabbit warren souk?

 

Small boned and surely quick moving once,

still with feverishly brilliant black eyes

and ruthful gap-toothed grin at times.

Dark skinned and with deep precocious lines and furrows

just able to weakly whisper thanks in three languages.

 

Only vestige of comeliness remaining

the beautiful long straight spunsilk silver hair

which the nurses attempted to cut short

for reasons of hygiene and their own convenience,

in spite of his obvious distress, but just in time

persuaded a Sumo topknot was also viable.

 

So he died unmourned, unloved, unnamed and alone

but in such a precious shining silvery silken shroud

when they loosed it round his shoulders at the end,

more lovely than the rich jewelled trappings of some ancient king.