It is 5.26pm on the 2nd of July
and Kevin is clocking out for the week.
He waits now for a gap in the traffic,
indicator tick tick ticking, radio tuned
to something smooth, fingers tapping
on the wheel while Hassan dreams
of flour, bags of flour, more flour than
he can carry, of fresh pita with hummus
for his sisters, the neighbours.
He is dreaming of laughter.
It is 5.26pm and the house is divided.
It’s not a bad job, you know? Good pay.
Skilled. Rare as hen’s teeth, he’s not
joking. A man’d kill for work like that
round here, while Hassan is dreaming
of being Ronaldo, maybe Messi,
of firing the bullet of a winner
hard into the top corner, his name
on everyone’s lips, his mom in the crowd,
her eyes shining.
It is 5.26pm and the house is divided.
And yes, he doesn’t like to think about
what those machines he helps build do,
hasn’t watched the news for months,
maybe a year or two, and yes, Hassan
is flickering, bleeding out on the dirty floor
of a hospital which can no longer help
and can no longer hope to heal.
Perhaps he does not know this.
Let us hope so.
It is 5.26pm and the house is divided.
At last Kevin sees his opportunity, presses
the accelerator, slips out from factory
gates. Leaves his work behind him.
Engines roar. Give it forty-eight minutes,
a clear road, he’s in with a shot
while medics thin as ghosts mumble
a prayer over Hassan’s wasted body,
wrap him in a tender shroud, lay
his ruined leg beside him.
It is 5.26pm and the House is divided.
Ayes 385. Noes 26. Question accordingly
agreed to, amendment officially approved.
He is home. And he is ten. And he is home.
And he is ten. And his mother is missing.
And he is home. And his belly is empty.
And he is home. And he is ten. And
his sisters are dead. And he is home.
He is finally home.
House bars remain open till 22.00
Israeli arms manufacturers Elbit have several factories across the UK.
These supply weapons to the Israeli war machine.
At 5.26pm on the 2nd of July 2025 the UK parliament voted to proscribe Palestine Action.
© Steve Pottinger. 12 Jul 2025
