The Archibald Baxter Memorial Trust 

I had overestimated
the size of the square
in the middle of town
by quite a lot.
But it was still big,
more than enough
for a hospital.
Two operating theatres,
one of them in a truck!
an emergency room
and maybe eighty beds?
We’d have to take car
of the cars of course,
overturned, burned and unruly.
here and there.
We’d have to check it
for mines of course,
although I’m pretty sure
I saw children playing soccer there
the other day.
We’d have to fence it off
of course,
or maybe a wall?
It’s so exposed,
and we’re only ten kilometres from Mosul.
And maybe block off a few roads,
remove the tangle of
downed power lines,
clean up the broken glass,
and the shattered remains of surrounding houses.
This square certainly saw some fighting.
But other than that,
it will make a fine hospital.