boys gasp, blown away by combat-ready drones, 
surface-to-air missiles that strafe 
mock mountains. A line of girls weaves 
through the back-slaps and handshakes,
stone-in-mouth silent. Lethality’s the buzz  
among reps: how much bang for your dollar. 
They target diplomats with Shiraz and Becks, 
bomb-shaped stress toys, new ways to navigate 
legal tripwires. Then it’s Show Time 
on the big screen, exhilarating simulations 
to pump-action rock music. At Pavilion 35, 
a woman drums lacquered fingernails 
next to poke bags of sweets and weapon-specs. 
Her phone vibrates like a tank over rubble: 
Trans Global Ballistics she croons, blanking 
a huddle of toddlers who try to hoist 
themselves into view. They’ve a lot to learn 
about Thor, Skylark, Sky Strike, Bird of Prey.

Note: Every two years, London’s ExCel Centre hosts The Defence and Security Exhibition International.  
Claire Booker is a Brighton poet and playwright. Her first collection was A Pocketful of Chalk (Arachne Press, 2022).