As I ate tofu ravioli <br />at my sister’s place <br />the phone rang <br />Annie answered <br />a moment later saying, <br />“Shark attacked Navin.” <br />“What? ” said my sister <br />grabbing the receiver. <br />Five minutes later <br />she told the story of how <br />her eighteen year old son <br />Navin had been <br />zooming on his jet ski <br />when he lost control <br />and flipped off <br />sadly the machine sped away <br />as he bobbed in the water <br />the current too strong <br />for him to swim after it <br />so he screamed for help <br />but ten minutes later <br />tired of howling <br />he simply quivered on the open sea <br />as four hammerheads <br />crisscrossed in front of him <br />but a yacht soon showed up <br />hauling him out: <br />the Captain <br />dubbing Navin <br />Shark Man <br />because not one <br />even nibbled a toe. <br />The next day <br />my sister called saying, <br />“Navin made a grand last night.” <br />“Oh.” <br />“Dave Eickwort <br />owner of the Banana Peel <br />read the article <br />called Navin <br />and offered him a job <br />as a male stripper <br />so he prances on stage <br />wearing a fancy shark skin suit <br />then peels it off to Mambo music <br />with women stuffing <br />hundred dollar bills <br />in his jock strap.” <br />I said proudly, <br />“The young lad’s <br />found his true calling— <br />a rare accomplishment <br />in these days of turmoil <br />and confusion.” <br />“But is there a future <br />in stripping? ” asked my sister <br />always worrying <br />even when <br />good fortune <br />appeared <br />this time <br />via <br />four <br />not too hungry <br />hammerhead sharks.<br /><br />Charles Chaim Wax<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/shark-man/
