Hillsborough Park

Hatim was thirteen but was the size of a small ten year old girl.
His wheelchair was a child's size, expensive and lightweight.
Hillsborough Park Sheffield
Springtime many years ago now.
It was one of his first forays out in public
A broad smiling Iraqi boy paralysed by accident by a stray British infantry man's bullet.
Rehabbed  in a Northern English City
He wasn't nervous or self conscious
That's what growing up in a Spinal Injury Unit does for you
He was just a little boy taking a Welsh terrier out for a walk.
The terrier was my Finlay and his lead was tied to the wheelchair in a tight knot
It was their second time of meeting

I watched them both from a distance .
Cheerful little boy and bouncy friendly dog,
Daffodils and bright sunlight,


And I felt like a father for the very first time