Didi Damin meets Borrock Sobama
(from "The Adventures of George" by Blair Gowrie)
The meeting was arranged and Karim was paid,
And after toasting their success went on his way.
Having carefully secreted the cheque in his pocket,
Leaving Kennedy alone to relax for a minute,
Enjoying once more the smooth taste of the stout,
And idly glancing at the pedestrians without.
Then his eyes moved on to the restaurant opposite,
And, from what he could see, business was quiet,
With very few customers going through the door,
But maybe it was too early, it was half-past four.
The suddenly a stranger caught his attention,
With a powerful build, and a black complexion,
Who, with two burly guards stopped at the Al-Hambara
To be deferentially greeted by a fawning General Manager.
Kennedy reflected, he'd seen that face before,
Surely this was the man who was responsible for
The death of thousands through torture, and famine,
Yes, the African tyrant, the feared Didi Damin!
He must be in town for the United Nations,
I had better give George this information,
Thought Kennedy, to the club he must certainly go,
Forewarned is forearmed must be our motto.
A call to the club came the following morning
Reserving tables for President Didi Damin,
And a group of five for a 12 o'clock luncheon,
Specifying no pork, as all of them were Muslims.
"All right" said George, "we'll give them a nice welcome,
And ensure their requests have our best attention.
"This president is a trencherman through and through,
His appetite is so great, that without much ado
He is able to out-eat at least ten hungry men,
Then call for some more and continue again".
So all in the kitchen laboured mightily
Preparing dishes by the dozen all of which to be
Set before the powerful and unpredictable leader
In the hope they would keep him in a good humour.
In walked Damin at the appointed hour,
Causing a stir with his menacing demeanour,
Big, black and bulky, with a scowl on his face,
He was certainly not a person one would want to embrace,
And paying no attention to the others in the room,
He strode to his table and noisily sat down,
And glowering and baleful he waited for his food.
But the appearance of the first dish suddenly changed his mood
