When the boy washed up on the shore that day,
Water right down into the depths of his lungs,
Covered in sand and sea from head to shoe,
He was saved.

A passer by had the foresight to drag him from the shallows
Apply the techniques he’d learnt from a course in first aid
That he had taken not 3 months before.

It was unlikely, but that is what happened…
the water spurted from the Boy’s blue white lips
and made a fountain that caused the crowed that had gathered to shriek with joy.

When it was played back on the news a short time later,
even those with the sturdiest of constitutions
found their cheeks wet with tears,
a smile spreading across their face

And that smile…

It was as wide as it was undeniable, it was
It was as pure as it was undefinable it was
It was a accidental bliss
It was a teenagers first kiss
The boy washed that washed up on the shore that day was saved.


The boys parents had not been so lucky.
Like so may others they met Poseidon that day.
Taken to watery graves to forever lie
In service to the rolling waves and the changing tides

No-one leaves for the sea unless the land is full of sharks,
But a better way isn’t always a way that’s any good
A maxim learnt by many, and then quickly and swiftly forgotten

And so he was taken in by a family that could afford him.
a family in that lived just south of Bristol at the time.
The wife was a doctor,
The husband a professor at the local university.

The boy grew up loved and fed,
and though he would be plagued occasionally by nightmares
his childhood was a good one,
and in many respects just like any other.

And his childhood…

It was as wide as it was undeniable, it was
It was as pure as it was undefinable it was
It was a accidental bliss
It was a teenagers first kiss
The boy washed that washed up on the shore that day was saved.


When he was 17 he had a lengthy discussion with his adopted father
They talked for hours about the nature of god
The boy felt he somehow stuck between here and there

Because try as we might to block out the past
With plans for the future or meditations on the present
The sharp tug of history is never far behind

The boy said…

I was not born in the same place as a lot of my friends,
so I feel in some way seperate from them.
But in not having a relationship with mohammed and Allah,
I feel separated from my muslim friends as well

The father stared down at his son,
And found himself prouder than he had ever been
then he hugged the boy so tight that most of the air escaped from his lungs

And that hug…

It was as wide as it was undeniable, it was
It was as pure as it was undefinable it was
It was a accidental bliss
It was a teenagers first kiss
The boy washed that washed up on the shore that day was saved.



The father said I am so very proud of the man you’re becoming
You’re analytical, empathetic, and kind.
These are traits your mother and I value enormously,
So it makes sense to see them reflected in you

As far as your heritage is concerned we cannot help
Not because we don’t want to, or because can’t support you
It is simply because we are out of our depth

I think if a relationship with a god will bring you closer to home
Closer to those who gave their lives so you could thrive
Well, that can only be a good thing

Heritage can be important for some, and incidental to others
Keep an open mind, do what you feel is right
And no matter what you’ll have our support

And that support…

It was as wide as it was undeniable, it was
It was as pure as it was undefinable it was
It was a accidental bliss
It was a teenagers first kiss
The boy washed that washed up on the shore that day was saved.


The boy got a job as a journalist
Writing on everything from love to tax
But his popular works were those about the tides of war

Now I’d like to tell you that through the power of his pen
Through his unique voice and steady hand
That the boy changed the world and the bombs that had fallen did rise

But the truth is that though his words won awards
Though he was greeted with handshakes everywhere he went
Like everything else, they were lost in the passing of time

The boy got married and had a boy of his own
And though he never did find god he named the boy Mohammed
And through Mohammed, at last, he found himself home.

And that home…

It was as wide as it was undeniable, it was
It was as pure as it was undefinable it was
It was a accidental bliss
It was a teenagers first kiss
The boy washed that washed up on the shore that day was saved.