Red Sea Recalled

RED SEA RECALLED Perim squints in sun without relief Through its narrow windows Towards the mirage Of Socotra’s pearled reef Red and shallow sea floor With coral islets shimmering And rainbows of fish Near its dusty rock shores Crossed by the Tropic* Crossed by dhows Crossed by Moses Crossroads geographic and historic Its waters stream warm Through the gate of tears * A tideless desert sea Caught in a sand storm ............................................................................................... NOTES Tropic of Cancer crosses the Red Sea’s mid-section. Bab el Mandeb means Gate of Tears. Perim and Socotra are islands in the region.