Salted Cashews

The taste of Baja Salted Cashews lingers

Long after the last handful has been chewed and

Gingerly swallowed

Somewhere between Bangkok and

Riyadh, I developed quite the

Addiction to the

Crunchy, salty and dry taste

The door opens and I am handed

My class schedule for the week

Listening and Speaking, for 3 periods

Corporate Co Curricular for 2

The latter seems like something

Made up

“Who has room 8?” someone says

While walking into the teacher’s room

“Abdullah died in a car crash over

The weekend.”

I grabbed another handful of cashews

Life here exists on the razor’s edge

My students are at a constant crossroads

Being pulled towards being a family man,

Death by car accident,

Religious zealotry

And Jihad

And much like the cashews,

Their spirts will linger long after they have

Been chewed up and swallowed

And mostly forgotten