January 30th and 31st

January 30th and 31st, the merciful whirr of fans, A/C and  the rolling crash of the sea.

One last delicious breakfast from smiley ShIbbim, one more wobbly stagger up the gangplank, a farewell to my new FB friend (oh dear!) Saju and we were off for the next part of our tour, to Marari beach, just about half an hour away on the Arabian Sea. The wonderful Rajesh had promised good accommodation and as ever he had not let us down. We are in a large three-bedroomed Home Stay bungalow, which has serious mod cons like A/C and hot water and tiled floors, but most importantly of all, two more lovely chaps to minister to our every need. They are Sanjay, the cook and Anil. So far we have had small strolls up the beach and long lounges in the breeze from the sea with books and crossword puzzles and freshly-squeezed fruit juices. Yesterday Jude and I took a stroll along the water's edge as the sun was setting and what a paradise it all seemed to be. Maybe slightly spoiled by the dead dog on the sand and the many- oops, be careful!- small piles of poo. Not dog-laid poo either. Still, as my daughter Rosie would say 'Tralalala, let's not think about that!' 

The temperature here has been rising by the day and really would be unbearable if not for fans and A/C, which inspired me to write this poem. 

Thin as a stick

Thin as a stick a lizard lurches
slips down the door frame
freezes still
the air in the room mercifully moves
fan-swirled
a ghost of a breath
my body beached, beaten by the heat
evaporates the sweat, wet, in rivulets
coconut fronds wave
desultory, flicker and clack
as January days grow hot
glass is rising, daily soars
my body, beached
no lizard
is beaten by the heat 

January 31st, Marari Beach Home Stay