“KM4” Poems & Drawings by Tom Sleigh and Michael Hafftka

Off behind the acacias in a little oasis of galvanized shade

the soldiers sit smoking and joking,

they talk to you with shy smiles and gentle laughter,

they offer cigarettes before you can offer them,

their tact and manners are exquisite.

It’s like being at a king’s court where the thrones

are three-legged stools, where the knights before battle

go around in regulation issue sleeveless undershirts,

where the gold and silver floor is dust packed hard by boots.

Now the wind is blowing through the trees,

the scene is changing as the day moon grows strong,

leaves hanging from the branches

drip and curdle in the afternoon sun.

The soldiers lie down on mats, their faces slacken,

sleep runs like a hand over their skinny bodies

and a goat climbs into a huge cooking pot

and licks and licks the sides clean.