Yesterday in clinic
a patient in his eighties
says to me
"I want to go back to Denmark."
I say, "I want to visit too."
"But all those immigrants are there.
Muslims. It has changed."
He is watching me closely.
"We need a war to kill them off."
"Or we could learn to get along.
The world is smaller."
"War makes the economy better.
There are too many people."
His eyes are testing, testing.
"I think a plague will take care of that.
Though wars often go with plagues."
And I hug him when he leaves.
He will be ninety soon.
I hope he goes...
I hope he gets...
....I don't know what to hope
....I just hope