Stefano craved a modicum of everything:

the gist of every book ever written,

the keynote of every piece of music,

a kiss from every woman he passed on the beach,

a bite of every fruit and vegetable, fish and flesh,

a taste of every dollop dropped into a soup

 

Exhausted by his thoughts, he ordered a platter

of burritos and beans at the Mexican restaurant

on the dock where tourists left the cruise ships,

contemplated what a fool he had been

No one had ever been able to do what he wanted to do,

have a nibble of everything

 

After he had wiped his plate clean,

he used a paper napkin,

pushed back the salt charred chair and started up the beach,

lessons unlearned, eager to find the girl of the day

 

A conch shell rolled past his feet out of the froth

and he took it as a sign

The sky looked so big above the blue water he felt afraid,

felt very, very small diving into the sea

 

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