NYU Black Renaissance Noire Summer/Fall 2010 | Page 12
BRN-ISSUE-2-3-2010.indd 11
When you drink beers in a Tangiers bar the tapas are placed
in front of you without you having to order them and they
are on the house as long as you are drinking. All of a sudden,
dishes with sardines cured in garlic and olive oil, round
meatballs of kefta (lamb and beef ) and fried circles of eggplant
show up in front of us. Good heavens — never had I seen
anything so civilized, not in New York (where they charge you
for a glass of tap water) and not in San Juan. Rachid, the
o? duty cop, called for another round of Casablanca beer.
We socialize for a little more than an hour when Mohammed
signals to me that it is time to get back to the house and
so we depart among protests of all those who want us to stay.
BLACK RENAISSANCE NOIRE
I tell Mohammed that I am a poet and writer and show him
some of my books, which I carried in my sack. Marie and
Fatimah come in through the door talking and giggling.
Marie tells me in broken English that she will make dinner.
Mohammed encourages me to take a shower as he sits
down to read my books, little Fatimah hands me a towel and
points in the direction of the bathroom. The road and the
sea are heavy on my ?esh and it is a delight to be able to wash
some of the miles o?. As the w ?????????????????????)???????$??????????????????????????????????$?????????)??????????????????????????????$??????????????????????)????????????????%?????????????????????A???)I????????????????????????????????A????I???????)??????????????????????????????????????????????????)?????A??????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????!?????????A????I?????)?????????????????P?????????????????????????)????????????????????????()Q???????????????????????????????a??????????????)???????????????????????????????????????????????d?)%??????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????$?????????????????????????????????????)???5???????????????%???????????????????5???????)?????????????]????$???????????????????????????)???????????????????I??????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????5??????????)??????????]???????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????Q?????????????????)???????????????????????????????????]???????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????????????????)??????]????????????5????????e???????????!????????)????????????5???????????????????????????????)???????????????!???????????????????????????????$???)???????
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