Love Song for Palolem

The waters move away
From the crowded shore.

They move away from me,

And the rock I sit upon.

At the farthest edge of the beach.

Once my throne at the edge,

Where the land bows to the sea.

Now just another rock stranded,

Choking amidst the debris.

I turn to look at them,

Sitting safely upon the shore.

Watching me watch the sunset,

Sitting out there further,

Than they'd dare to be.

My brothers are working the bar,

Their laughter calls to me.

Calls me away from my lonely perch,

Away from the sun dying in the sea.

Cyrus is playing J.J. Cale.

Midnight in Memphis under,

Our father, the Goan moon.

Satyadeep is smiling fondly,

At everything he sees.

There's sadness in their hearts,

But it's a temporary thing.

They are made of hope,

They are warriors for joy.

My brothers on Monkey Island,

Where the sun always dies,

With a smile over an endless sea.

A quiet dog leaps up to join me,

Wags his tail once then curls,

Into a perfect ball of stillness,

And watches me watch the sea.

With quiet eyes he tells me cares.

His body scarred from a lifetime,

Of proving himself not afraid.
He doesn't start as I stand,

He doesn't flinch as I draw near,

He yawns a little dog yawn,

And let's me scratch him behind the ear.

There are other dogs playing in the surf,

Reclaiming the beach from the water.

The old dog looks at me for a moment,

Then races down to join them.

They growl and circle then wag their tails,

And race barking into the sea.

Together.

Cyrus calls to me over my reverie.

Tells me they're going to take a dip.

I watch them pick their way down,

Laughing at their endless jokes,

As they pick their way across the rocks.

They splash like children,

They laugh like old men content

With everything their lives have been.

I slip off the rock.

Into the water after the sun.

Waters still golden,

Waters always cool.
I swim towards my brothers,

With a gladness I've never known.

Because I know then,
That I am never far from home.

They take away my sadness,

And tell me I'm not a fool.

That as I bathe in the sea,

The sea, my darling, the sea,

The sea she bathes in me.