Phil Maillard
St Felieu
Spain of cork oaks and sweet chestnuts!
Driving over the twisty coast road
to St Felieu - Sunday lunchtime -
black clouds, the edge of a storm
to the north, over the Pyrenees.
We have a beer at the bay.
The waiter is folding up the sunshades
against the wind. Then we eat
sandwiches, sheltered up one end
of the beach, and have a nap.
Wake up, wind dropped, paseo time,
the man running the kiddies’ roundabout
on the seafront plays a moving ballad,
a slow and magic tune compelling
attention, straight to the heart.
The trucks and cars and tanks and
helicopters go round and round
with just one little boy having a ride.
Driving out of town
we miss the Girona road and end up
at the fish dock, under a cliff
with a green cloud of pines on top
and a single agave leaning out into the void.
In the large empty car park
where we stop to look at the map
a blonde woman is taking bicycle lessons.
Her boyfriend, in his Sunday suit,
handsome, jacket-on-shoulders, instructs her.
She wobbles straight towards us
and nearly hits our car. She stops
with difficulty, feet-on-ground,
and turns to him, hand-on-mouth
in mock horror! He shrugs and smiles and,
half to her and half to us, says something
in Catalan to the effect that
you’ve got the whole car park and you have
to aim straight for that car! What can I do?
And she sits astride the bike, head back,
and just laughs and laughs and
laughs.
Page(s) 64
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