Back then we did shots
Of Liquid Cocaine
Feasted on the dishes
At Little Saigon Café
Talked about Red Warren’s
All the King’s Men
You gave me an authentic
George W. Bush doll
And a silver name bracelet
Which Erin later noticed
With a raised eyebrow, saying
“That must have cost $250!”
I of course was clueless
About such things
What I wasn’t clueless about
Your desire to write books
I will never forget that night at Cartel
Your face like a thousand suns
(That’s a Bhagavad Gita allusion
In case you missed it, srimatiji)
Or when you called me from Italy
On your post-graduation Euro tour
I called you from Gaza
The shots from the sniper tower loud and clear
Now ten years later
You’re a practicing doctor of medicine
Happiness occupies your face
Vishal occupies your heart
Like Tupac said
“Somethings never change”
So Doc hear this:
On the weekends
When you have an hour here
Or even twenty minutes there
Open up your laptop because
The world is waiting
For you to wow us
With your way with words
