The Melon Market


It was a small town,

Pec, in Kosovo now,

then in Yugoslavia.

It was 1966,

the year before watermelons became illegal 

in Palestine.


It was a small restaurant

with no menu

so communication wasn’t easy.

But the guy on the next table spoke French

opening up a channel of communication for us.


John wanted to eat melon

but there was no melon.

Our French speaking friend,

he was a friend by now,

Had a late night solution.


He took us to a large dry field,

a melon market, he said.

There were huge heaps of watermelons,

dark green globes waiting in heaps.

Each heap with its sleeping seller

resting on a bed of melons.


He shook one seller awake 

and carefully chose a melon.

We all went home with him,

he called the neighbours in

and there we had a melon party

eating great juicy slices 

off tin plates

in a small house in Pec in 1966,

the year before Israel banned watermelons in Palestine.



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