conversation in berwick street market

she said they were just kids
it said in the paper they were old tramps
no she said I saw them this morning 8.45 as I came to work
the bodies were just lying there in the doorway
why hadn't the police removed them?
I looked back at the floral tributes outside the butchers shop
she said they were killed at 3am, stabbed in their sleep
I wondered how she knew the time
I wondered if there was any blood
I wondered if there was a struggle
just kids sleeping rough in the doorway

These murders happened last week and my conversation with a woman when I was buying some flowers has haunted me ever since.
Lindy Williams