Gordon Scapens
Incident in a bar
Eyes heavy with experience,
she sat down at our table,
the power of surprise
unmasking our faces.
Badly dressed, fat, and drunk,
she braved attention in a hotel
where respectability had a memory.
She gathered enough words
to beg for vodka,
then into an embarrassed silence
exploded her tale of rape.
Her eyes flickered like candles,
tears of pain and indignation
signalled back to the lights.
I ordered drinks, breaking the spell,
but the manager’s impatience was naked.
She had to go, and we watched silently
as every eye in the room
soaked up our discomfort.
Later, relieved, we agreed
we’d seen but not felt
what sympathy she craved,
and admitted to each other
we’d have shown rare gallantry
to a famous model or film star.
We checked down manly scales.
What about the barmaid,
a girl from work, a friend’s sister?
Suddenly we stopped, shocked by truth.
We were approaching the point
where the line was drawn.
Page(s) 59
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