Leaving Cartagena, Colombia
The rim of the glass pierces a slice
of pineapple, a cocktail stick impales the cherry.
Sailing from harbour, seventy thousand tons
of welded steel traces a wide wake.
Local children chase in a tiny boat, the whine
of its outboard motor rising and falling.
On deck, passengers gather at the stern
to watch, to bid farewell to Cartagena.
The children shout and wave, someone
throws a dollar bill, it catches the breeze
- a falling leaf, a feather -
clings to the rippled skin of the sea.
A boy dives into the wake of the huge propeller,
retrieves the note like a terrier.
His friends shout again, more green bills are thrown -
Washington face down in salt water.
The liner pulls away, dollars are raised streaming
against thin, tanned arms,
taken ashore, a day’s wages.
The waiter serves another Hobson’s Choice.
Page(s) 18
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