The Poetry Society

jigharzi an me stand in de water

warm an friendly

for de world smell like snails

oooozing on hot charcoal

 

an jigharzi step wary

as tiger fish skip between his legs

an he make like he hate de coral forever

 

an i slip from his back     de knife in my hand

forget de electric blue an glitter of de rainbow

an wait for shark to come over de reef

as tide lifffff de water over

 

an soon de fin come

quiver when it see me     but it come

shark he thick between de ears if he had them

 

                                                                          i say

 

an jigharzi he snorting and heading for land

coz dis fellow mean business

an he say why you wan kill him anyway

an i say is sport man as well as supper

an impress de tourists good an good mean money

 

an i say trus me jigharzi

an de fin go out like a light as de brute turn

                                                                         over

an jigharzi say man dis fellow bes swimmer in de sea

an de rush of water push me sideways

an de teeth glitter in sunshine that come

                                                    through de water

hundreds of teeth   iiiiiichin to bite me dead

an i liff de knife but it move slow

for everything cep dis killer move slow in de

                                                                           water

but fear drive my hand

an i slash him in de stomach

an de monster done falter

fffffffalter in de water

but he turn roun anyways

and come again     kinda slow now

an i slash him in de stomach in de same place

de same place de same place de same place

 

till his womb come out     an his gut

for it not a he but a lady

with babies in a bag all ready to do business

but jigharzi he long gone for shore

for de water full of blood     clouds of blood

clouds of froth       clouds of gore

but not clouds of joy      cos it a lady