The Face in the Coconut
Based on ‘Where the Coconut Came From’ – A Folk Tale of Papua
They ate until there was no fish left for tomorrow.
It wasn’t just them.
‘Future eaters.’
The nameless man always came back to the village
laden with fish.
Each night, he took off his own head,
left it nestled in the sand
so the fish could smell the blood.
If he saw the future, eaten
would he lose his appetite?
Would I?
One boy was brave.
He threw the head as far as he could.
He watched it bob, then disappear.
In its place
near the shore
a palm tree grew in the burial spot.
The boy gasped
when he saw his own face
reflected in the strange new seed.
Then he ate his fill.
