The Alexandrian

He was born, lived, and died in Alexandria
and worked there for thirty-three years
– the first three as a meritorious service, without pay –
in an obscure department
called the Water Authority.

Egypt was then – in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries –
a semi-British colony
and Alexandria was a small city,
faithful to its tradition,
deeply corrupt.

He belonged to the Greek minority
– bankers, merchants,
moneylenders, sailors, tavern keepers, and
mafia members – and spoke, in addition to his native Greek,
English, Italian, and French. He spoke
colloquial Arabic, but not classical Arabic.

Small and scrawny, he always wore
a stiff collar, tie, vest,
fake cuffs, cufflinks, a watch chain
and hid his squinty eyes behind
tortoiseshell-framed glasses.