Bazaar

Manama, 1998

'Jaeed Jidan, Sadiqui,' he approves

my choice of tat from his cluttered stand.

A cat in a bag or muezzin call alarm clock.

I flinch as he grabs my hand.

'Dinarain, kalamti', but he hadn't.

The price was one Bahraini dinar.

I give it to him and am released

and return with clock or cat to the car

with the wonky taxi sign and

a henna-bearded loon takes me back

through the bazaar and neon Bank signs

into civilisation through the crack

that is Mana'ama highway.