Iain Britton
Fish Don’t Care
Told by a boy to smack
Henry in the mouth … I do. So
where to now for this bloke
sheathed in white-lacquered skin. Where to next?
Henry whistles through full blubbery lips,
spits out full-bloodied words at me.
Smiles.
Where to now? I ask. Which way is north,
is south, is the long
curving road to the ocean
where fish don’t care if I’m white/he’s white or
brown or dark as a sunburnt Indian
from Viti Levu. Where to for Henry
bruised and messy as a dropped apple.
The sound of the sea
is a long way off and Henry wants to
tell me a story,
thinks I’ve got time to listen
is arrogant enough
even to think I like stories. Henry
spits his words in blood across my shirt.
He doesn’t understand the meaning of No.
He was brought up on bread and golden syrup.
He smiles
because that’s what he always does. He wipes
red snot across his sleeves. Told by his brother
to smack me in the teeth … he doesn’t.
We stand on a beach of stones
listening together but to different waves.
So you want to hear my story? He asks.
He smiles. He
spits clearly.
Page(s) 148-149
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