A Taxi to Jerusalem

For Dinna from Danmark

Dinna of Denmark
 you were my darling
Walking in your well worn sandals
Down the dirty Via Dolorosa

Clutching your stuffed Lion Toy
Swinging your bag
 brimful
 with secrets and sweets
Pencil crayons and poems
Fairy  stories  conjured
In your  secret language
 colourful lands steeped,
 In story-book wonder 

I marvelled  as I listened
And  you and I and crazy John of Jerusalem
who’d been there far  too long
would feed the cats by Jaffa gate

You  singing your song
through the ancient  streets
as you bartered for carefully chosen bananas

and at night on the pansiyon roof we dreamt
in our poorly erected tents
that fell down to reveal
the shepherds stars
that twinkling upon 
the ancient old-city rooftops

dear Dinna, lone little Girl-woman
emanating gentle  kindness
smiling in bright colours
with  warm words for  me

sorry I was such a  fool
about love and such
and you said you wanted somebody
certain and strong and I felt so foolish and jealous
of your dream of a wandering Indian Brave

but now I hope that in this or some parallel universe
you may find him, Dirty footed Dinna
with your stuffed Lion Toy

By the oasis of Ein Gedi in the hot dead sea  sun
You sang aloud as you washed your dress
Then laying it to dry on the hot rock
We splashed about and laughed

And refreshed in that cool pool where I imagine once even
old king Solomon perhaps
happily Sang in the sun and splashed someone he loved

and then we trudged down
and hitchhiked a truck as far as the bus-stop 
by the crossroad on Jericho road
and blew you kisses goodbye