The Girton Poetry Group

Not Averse

Between Life and Death

Extracts from an email received on Monday 28 October from

‘INTERPOL INVESTIGATION POLICE:

 

We are writhing to know if it’s true that you are DEAD.  Because we received a notification from Mr.  Joseph Grant today of USA stating that you are DEAD and that you have giving him the right to claim your US$500,000 fund …as compensation to the lose you insured from hoodlums scammers.  Mr.  Joseph Grant stated you died on a ghastly CAR accident last three days … we cannot proceed with him until we reconfirm by not hearing from you after 3 working days...Kindly get back to this office for immediate commencing of your fund release…All we need to confirm now is your been DEAD or still Alive?  Joseph’s message brought shock to our hearing and we just can’t proceed until we don’t hear from you after 3 days then we say:  MAY YOUR SOUL REST IN PERFECT PEACE” May the peace of the Lord be with you wherever you may be now?

YOUR JOY AND SUCCESS REMAINS OUR GOAL.

Regards Deputy Director

Wayne Salzgaber’

Dear Wayne of Interpol:  I have your mail.

Your writhing at my death has deeply touched

me.  Though unknown to you, still you bewail

my loss – but ask my cooling corpse to rush

you finite proof ‘within three working days’.

In limbo here I can no longer vouch

for working days, or if my real malaise

might just be musing if I’m wanted now

by you alive or dead?  Live I could raise

a cool half million.  Dead it goes to Joe.

If I’ve ‘been DEAD’ am I now resurrect

and rich, or still a ghastly ex-officio

crash corpse?  Those ‘hoodlums scammers’ I reflect

might just be you, despite your wish that I

should rest in perfect peace.  I’m circumspect

about my first response.  Success and joy

may be your stated goal but safety first –

you’re in the trash dear Wayne – you wongaboy –

since you forgot to check if I was versed

in things grammatical, your bubble burst.