Bahtiyar Hidayet " THE LAST STOP OF LIFE"

 THE LAST STOP OF LIFE

The poor man, returning from hard work,

Would wake up at every stop.

... First, beside the maternity hospital,

Then, beside School No. N,

Then, beside the Military Commissariat,

Then, beside the Slave Market,

Later,

Beside the Civil Registry Office,

Then, beside the market, beside the police station,

And later, beside the courthouse.

Passing by the railway station, too,

He reached the final stop— Beside the trash bin.

The horrifying thing was this:

At the final stop, the poor man understood a truth.

An old wall clock,

Which had no place even in the trash bin,

Was being urinated on by a stray dog

Lifting its leg,

As if giving time its due.

It was as though ointment

Had been applied to the wounds

On the poor man's hands.

For in this country,

There was no one

Who would even piss on an injured finger.