An American In Phnomh Penh (2010) Poem by Sheena Blackhall

A GI’s helmet, bangs down on the bar.
‘I wear it just to wind the locals up.
You’re Scots, I think?
You guys all freed Megrahi
You bleeding hearts insult those folks he killed

No politics. I know. I get the picture.
I only passed three accidents today
Two were fatalities. I didn’t stop
Too much to do. But heh…
These geeks are Buddhists, they’ll be coming back.

It’s dog eat dog. You can’t save everyone
My uncle fought in ‘Nam. His whole platoon
Crashed through the VC tunnels with our tanks.

Odd thing about you foreign folk I meet
Nobody ever seems to like the Yanks.’