Erstwhile eat the watercress sandwich
may green my mini mountain
the sun behind the trees

mad the moon
in August when afternoons burn
and mice send out soldiers

have you heard the dogs bark
behind wood fences
when waves swarm the beach?

A street in Johannesburg
stripped of sound
except for the inner thump of music
thru the windows of a nightclub

Smell of a Southeastern jungle
Orchard hotel in Singapore
the musicians seemed as if they had just stepped outta the jungle themselves
--two seconds ago—

A whites-only beach in Port Elizabeth South Africa 
where I fell asleep on the beach
white girl nearby

Crossing the tarmac on foot
carrying our souls
on our backs

Early morning Mannheim jogs
Continental breakfast
boiled egg & a glass of O.J.

riding mountain bikes in San Diego
baseball caps on
me and my new wife

soaring down dirt road
the footprints of our bike lights
different, but with the same purpose

My wife’s honey
I eat of ravenously
the weeks have been heavy with Love
 and rubies

(Albert Estiamba Jr. Redondo Beach, California. August 24, 2003. 5:24 a.m.)