Deceit*

I see you inside
stock central like
a warder watching
(movement on the galleries,
the iron steps), listening
(feet, words, shifts in tone).

Were you a screw?
Or were you once banged up,
now trying out a different role?
Or are you here to make a story
for the folks back home
of how you slept
in a prison cell (well, three)
relaxed with a drink
in the punishment room,
play-acted being a warder?



*Oxford prison was converted into a luxury hotel and opened in 2006