Jimmy Jimmy: The Bedsit Bandit

This is the first of two short, linked poems, written at the time of my daughter Jadine's birth in Sri Lanka back in 1992. Just prior to and after Jay's birth there at Joseph Fraser Memorial Hospital, myself and my wife Nahida were staying in a nice rented apartment for 2 months over-looking the Indian Ocean just outside of Colombo, and supposedly sourced at 'local rates' through a close friend of our Maldivian brother-in-law. It later turned out after Jadine's birth that this so-called 'friend' had negotiated himself a recurring commission and 'finders fee' for his referral of us to our Sri Lankan landlord (the self-styled Jimmy Rockwood of the title), who then had to inflate our rent substantially to pass on the added cost (but without telling us this critical fact).

Jimmy's flat had many trophy heads of wild boar from his various hunting exploits mounted on the walls. In addition were various bits of Christian iconography as well as prayer sheets from his local church congregation scattered around.