She smiled so sweetly
As she said
No towels left... come back in 5 minutes
So
I headed out to the street
Heart set on...
Coconut water and jelly
I'd been dreaming of this moment
I walked
Like the locals
On the gravel
On the side of the narrow road
They generously called highway
Avoiding the puddles
Topped off daily by rains
In the car ride over here
The coconut man seemed closer
Now the seconds trudged into minutes
We spoke for a bit
Me getting prices and hours of operation
Him getting sale
I wasn't going to be on the island for long
But I was going to drink all the coconut water I could
To make up for all the lost years abroad
With this understanding forming
We smiled at each other
Coconut man and me
His braids and my locs
Nodding in some kind of subconscious otherworldly agreement
Now with joy welling up within my soul
I made my way
Back to the beach towel lady
She
Still giving me the sweet eye
Said
5 minutes pass already?
It would be an hour before I got those towels
I smiled too... it was good to be back
Living in Caribbean time