Pages 89 & 90: Alicante

The smell of bread
rising for lunchtime rush

floods open windows
in hot waves

Ole, Lucentum
city of light

Swerving lane to lane
we power towards the sea

Her thin brown arms
twist the steering wheel

curving towards the harbor
blurring all colors

Ole, Lucentum
city of light

Gold bracelets draw
out the tan from her skin

I move my face closer
"Wait," she laughs, "First, lunch"

Ole, Lucentum
city of light

This is not my narrative
It does not matter

A book on flamenco
stamps roses on my cheeks

Ole, Lucentum
city of light

Algerians cluster on the quay
amidst suitcases stuffed

with carpets and breakfast cereals
waiting for the boat to Oran

– eileen tabios

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(After Pages 89 &90 of Duende: A Journey Into the Heart of Flamenco, a memoir by Jason Webster)