Ian Anderson
Calliandra Shade
I sit in judgement on the market square
I have my favourite table and I have my chair
Natives are friendly and the sun flies high
All kinds of crazy waiters – they go drifting by
Come, sit with me and take decaf designer coffee
Come, laugh and listen as the ragamuffin children play
Lame dog and a black cat, now, they shuffle in the shadows
You got cappuccino lip on a short skirt day
Hours last forever in the Calliandra shade
Conversation going nowhere and yet, everywhere
Kick off those sad shoes and let the bare toes tingle
Slip off the shoulder strap: loosen the thick black hair
Electric afternoon and shrill cellphones are mating
Lame dog is dreaming, dreaming of a better life
Where bed is fluffy pillows, table scraps are filet mignon
Flicked indiscretely by the lazy waiter’s knife