Srinigar

The houseboatman liked me.
When I rang at two in the morning,
he came cheerfully,
and when I complained about the rat,
he carefully closed the bathroom door.
Sorry, he said, and headed back
to the small boat tied up alongside,
where he lived with his wife and children.
I lay awake all night with the light on,
alert and waiting for water rats,
alone on the faded, glorious houseboat.


Sent from my iPhone