Orphaned Islands (Un)poetry

He was 30 years ahead of his time
he had a natty goatee beard way back
of the type endemic in the 2000’s.
Unusually for a mathematics lecturer
he was lively, funny, and classes
not impenetrable
topical too
many of the examples he employed
pertaining to sugar cooling coffee
accumulation of alcohol in blood
and retail optimisation of purchasing –
utilitarian or indulgent.

Not that he was a soft touch
his exams hard, searching
if you didn’t know, you were found out.
Exams –
someone asked a question in lectures once
he paused saying
it was complex, would consume considerable time
to explain and
“ is not in the exam.”
Then,
“ it’s not in the exam, should I continue,
what do you think class?” NO, everyone bellowed.
That was unanimous he said.

Murder was uncommon then,
uncommon in the former colony at the bottom of the world
one per year
or often two, in three.
The female tourist was missing, overdue
but without a body, still missing person
the police didn’t find the body –
it found them –
the smell. Under a bridge the road left the coast
and ran off with the mountains.

Family travel onto the bridge as the thought murderer
drove off
narrow, squeezing past
the eight-year-old was certain, absolute, but
children’s testimony didn’t hold sway in those days,
his mother less so.

At the identity parade she wasn’t sure
could be, might be, possibly …
… couldn’t swear, couldn’t be sure wouldn’t want to commit.
The Chief Inspectors body language told her –
deflating balloon of hope –
she offered to try again.
The Head of Enquiry and senior police pleased
until
a junior constable – couldn’t have been on-the-job more than a year
stepped forward and said,
NO,
that was against the rules that
a witness is permitted only one attempt,
one attempt to identify a suspect in a lineup,
they weren’t allowed a second, that was against the rules.

Word-of-mouth said it was interesting
the instructor lively
and the assignments not too onerous,
Italian Film Studies
just the sorbet between maths and physical chemistry.

Day one
“ ah welcome…..aah ..
… the Vice Chancellor … he …aah
he is …. not convinced this is … is a valid course …
has some doubts
the future is …
how you say .. about to be canned,
so I say …
why make it difficult if there no chance for amends
so…
bon jueno .”