reaching the Red Sea

in Kashmir

a thoughtful Indian held a rock

while i slept on my sofa

playing with a Pakistani woman

in my dreams

it often seems

there is a 

dawn before the sun

and the sound ringing in my ear

is a car explosion

and the people

climb the steeple

for the view of Normandy Beach

while i adjust my tie with her help

and heat water for tea

before watching the Rose Bowl

on tv

her and me

finally reaching the Red Sea

after hours of travel from Mozambique

where we swam from the shore

looking like tourists

at midnight

it seemed right

to see musicians playing electrified violins

underneath a brilliant African sky

where warlords and underdogs

ate everything they could dig their teeth into

and they drank

while we sank

like hard noodles into their fragrant broth.