island pome

Cayo heyo keys hello,
west into clear seas,
December palm trees
coral reef, brown breaths
green hued horizon lines,
string of isles nestled
against the sun
a tangled wind through
mangrove mysteries
whistling.

Radio Marti

propaganda lines drawn
in mangrove mazes,
silver pond and big lake,
tunnel and shade, brackish
waters sifting through,
a heron's nest maybe and
off somewhere, flight
of egret bird's wings on water,
daily broadcasts of
sad unheralded radio signals
beam hazard thoughts
like crocodile dreams into
Spanish heads in ole
Cuba, warm scotch &
rolled cigars, somewhere
off the mainland
who's revolution?
who's imperialism?
how far?

south of boot key
just 90 miles
droning 24 hours.

Keys

December's great poems
leak from damaged
railroad bridges--
finished 1912
abandoned 1935
after swirling winds
hurricane winds of
labor day--
south of mainland
USA off mangrove
islands of florida's
keys,

sun is skipping
boil of fire sinking
far away over gulf
scalded red flicker
of pain in distant pink
sky,

December's sunsets
at southern most point
slap like blue-green
maybe sea-green
clarity slashed
with brown sand, waves
on the shore, fallen
so you miss
and the lights out,
early,

December at the
bottom of America
no more land
mile 0
gray pavement
used up and
skips its way
to end on backs
of martyred men,
slouching.