GIRL WITH UZI

I remember Ruth
Half of her was fat half was meat.
She liked Sundays
And in those days I was fast on my feet.
In and out of Mass
And running home with the papers
Couldn't wait to ink her arse.
We'd read the news all over the bed.
I knew she was going
Her eyes sad like that girl in the painting.
Often enough she called me
Made it easier to bear the waiting.
Out and about all day
I came home to find her farewell note.
She didn't know what to think.
The spare key glinted on the table.
I wanted to know
Why she chose to go to war.
She did her time
No one would have asked for more.
She knew my other friends at a distance.
Semites kill each other
And I thought it best in the circumstance
To keep them apart.
I never saw her again
But I found out why she went to fight.
It was written.
All my friends say she had a right.