by Iris Herriot

“Police suspect that a dead man who was brought to a post office in Ireland
by two men trying to claim his pension had died just hours before the incident.
Gardaí have ruled out foul play”
—The Guardian

The Gardai guards are far from lax:
We always pay attention.
The dear departed pay no tax,
And therefore draw no pension,

So when we see one in the queue
With pension book out ready,
Between two smooth explainers who
Support him like a teddy,

We move to stop them at the till,
Evincing our awareness:
We’re ruling out foul play, but still,
We’re ruling in unfairness.