A Saturday in Sri Lanka
by Jibreel Atheek, Fitra Community School
Years 3 – 4 Written Poetry Finalist
Holidaying with my Grandpa
Near the beach
Air so hot
I see it swirling around me
My uncle arrives
With a plastic bag
Tips out an ocean of fuzz balls
I just stare
It looks like something on fire
Angry and red
I have never seen anything like it
He cuts one open
The prickly skin falling off
Leaving a white ball
And two alien helmets
My grandpa hands me the ball,
I pop it into my mouth
Wondering…
I wait for something strange.
But it was
Calm, gentle, sweet
Compared to the madness outside
We sit for an hour
Working through the whole bag
Red spiky helmets piling up
I’ve had rambutans
A few times since
And I still think how one special afternoon
stayed with me