Sabri
Maybe that’s just how he had to be,
The drugs, the hash, the booze and the snails,
he used two names, I knew them both,
See I liked him and he liked me.
He and his chipped board.
I told him:
‘fix it before it’s too late’
He smiled and replied ‘They say I can’t leave
for France for 3 years,
I don’t look like a murderer do I?’
‘No’ I said, and took the next clean wave.
He whooped as I bailed, the face closing in.
As I paddled back I could hear him singing.
It seems you can be quite happy,
Even if you’re a suspect in a police investigation.
'How do I fix it?’ he asked.
I tried to explain, but settled on “m-seal, resin.”,
when we couldn’t understand each other.
We sat for a while waiting for the next set.
‘Does my face look like a killer?’
'No' I said an unfamiliar grin on my face,
'No, Sabri, take this one’
And it really didn’t.
He took the next wave, it wasn’t great
But he was beaming as he swerved off in the shallows by the rocks,
I showed him a thumbs up.
He came back and we waited in silence.
He prayed to Shiva, unlike his family
“OM namo Shiva Shivayeh”
“That house” he said pointing “is mine”.
“Come for lunch?”, I would’ve, but I had math class.
A big set was coming, ‘Alaii!’ we yelled,
And put our heads down and paddled,
“Together” he cried,
as the sea swelled beneath us,
It was a monster, no face, no line, closing out.
helpless we went over the falls
Smashing into the sand, spinning like rags in a washing machine
and came up in front of the rocks,
clambering over them before the next wave hit us
I had a cut over my eye, it was his jagged board.
He looked so concerned I almost laughed, my head throbbed,
'I’m sorry’ he said in three languages.
‘Don’t worry’, we paddled back out,
salt stinging, sun stinging,
We paused and looked out at the horizon,
The monsoon clouds settled, dark fish in the sky
'Udee, I want a girl from a good family', he said.
A wave passed, and I could laugh underwater.
