May
The afternoon shift rambles on like a Headmaster
There are one or two things to make it go faster
You can sneakily play pool (keeping an eye on the till)
Or babble on with a traveler from Denmark or Brazil
Hell you can even work, wouldn't that be terrific
Prepare lemons and cutlery until you're absolutely prolific
I tend to throw a bit of back and forth with the cooks
Making hypocritical comments about how they need to hit the books
People float by in this dreamworld of mine
I wake at odd hours and the days intertwine
Work is not work and yet rest is not itself either
Learning brings me back, it offers me a breather
A language is magic, wisps of something out of reach
I find myself enchanted by the moment that I breach
The assumption that I'll never understand the hidden code
The fogginess disintegrates and I'm skipping down the road
The Peruvian handshake left me looking like quite the chump
It's a double slap of the hand followed by a fist bump
However this bump is no ordinary converging of knuckles
You bend your elbow and hammer your hand at the other till it buckles
For the uninitiated this foreign movement can be quite unnerving
For your first few shakes it's worth just simply observing
Throw in a 'todo bien' or 'tranquilo' as the shake gets better
In no time at all you'll be more local than a llama sweater
A beautiful film (worth much more than a look)
Is 'El libro de la selva' - or 'The Jungle Book'
It's a rare remake that equals the original
That I could only understand parts, only added to the thrill
Beautiful company, what more could you ask
Finding a better day would be a difficult task
Topped off with juice, god how good is juice
I'll be back here again, I'll find an excuse
Staff lunch on a calm Saturday
Pedro whipped up an Israeli buffet
I probed the team on Spanish swearing
I learnt some words that are well worth sharing
It was 4 or 5 by the time we ate
Carlos was ready to put his shoe on a plate
Then talk turned to the visit of the owner of the bar
No more eating customer meals, absolutely bizarre
For the life of me I cannot fathom
Why people here insist on covering every limb
No one wears shorts, no matter the heat
It could be sweltering and they'd still be clothed to their feet
Sure I go with it, after all it's not my country
But just get your kit off, to put it bluntly
Unleash those calves upon the unsuspecting fresh air
Here you have guy who won't stop and stare
Good people attract others alike
A watering hole at the end of a hike
Here at Milhouse there's an endless stream
Of friendships, insights and messages to gleam
It takes two to salsa, you have to be willing
To receive those messages rather than filling
Those empty spaces with your own projections
Be at ease with multiple directions
A loose plan for an Indian quest
With the bro and the sis and a youthful zest
In the most inappropriate vehicle known to man
The majestic rickshaw, catch us if you can
And you will - it has the top speed of a table
Its three wheels point to something unstable
It's frivolous and fraught with all sorts of fun
I can feel the tingles, it has begun
Peruvians are a classy bunch
They like dessert with their lunch
They get shoes shined while reading the paper
They prefer wobbly bricks to a skyscraper
They all know the same slick handshake
They don't believe in the concept of a car brake
They'll shower you in praise while taking the mick
They make it difficult to feel homesick
Tight lycra pants stand staggered on the streets
Blowing whistles at cars amongst reggaeton beats
Their traffic directing skills are something of a falsehood
First and foremost, their goal is to look good
It appears to be solely a female position
Which does make me treat the role with suspicion
If they're having fun, who am I to judge
If there's a position going maybe I'll give it a nudge
Maybe May was made for me
A month crafted specifically
Solely for the purposes of Ryan
And his plodding prose prying
And poking at different matters
As the illusion of sense shatters
Or maybe by the end of May
I won't have captivated in any way