Drawn to the warmth of gold we reach Hawaii,
Tahiti, Treasure Island, Coromandel;
But first we land where there's no rivalry,
Where no-one qualified, with any class,
Would want to go.
Beheadings in the village square,
Lashings, gold, and fly-blown meat.
Cockroaches carpet the shower,
Scattered by naked bulb and feet;
The sleep-denying malarial mosquitoes...
Awaken to shriek and scream from the butcher's yard -
Last moments of panic,
Arterial spray.
Quieter, stunned, on a silvery beach;
Bad dreams take a year to fade.
