As a European I am not used to this heat
My clothes are wretched but this is unnoticed
By my fellow passengers bright in their contentment
About a week ago I was in a Kent charity shop
I was buying a couple of paperbacks for the journey
There was an elderly couple next to me examining the jigsaw puzzles
Suddenly the woman walked to the counter and spoke to the volunteer
She wanted to give fifty pounds to the victims of a recent earthquake
The man who I perceived to be her husband looked at me
I wouldn’t give them fifty fucking pence
She is a silly cow but it is her money
Too many of them and they breed like flies
Their houses are built out of balsa wood
It is God’s way people should listen to God
The woman returned a little flushed and said little
It was then that I noticed that the man was counting
Never full no matter what they say the Dun Laoghaire
The Dun Laoghaire was a disaster with five pieces missing
I was going to return it but she said no as it was a charity shop
The couple then settled on two Sussex puzzles and left the shop
It did not register with me at first but they had stolen them
My sister is called Jean Addy-Stephens
My name is Mark just Mark as I like simplicity
I asked Jean to make a donation towards to earthquake appeal
It was supposed to make me feel better but it did not as I felt guilty
My family was wealthy and this was a vanity trip
I was travelling to a graveyard in the middle of Southern India
To visit the grave of a relative who had died of a fever in the twenties
During the days of Empire thousands of Europeans died in India
And now rest in overgrown and almost forgotten cemeteries
I was chosen as I was a seasoned traveller and unattached
My mission was to arrange the upkeep of the grave via a stipend
I started travelling seriously after watching The Lover at the local cinema
Jean initially travelled with me and we both expected to find Duras at her desk
Obviously we found none of this but we both returned with a degree of maturity
I still carry copies of The Lover and The Sea Wall in my backpack as companions
My eyes are now heavy and I am four hours from my station
So I will take my leave of you
Till we meet again
Mark