For four hundred years and more,
These walls of time-compressed shells,
Designed to absorb English shot,
Excel now in reflecting sun’s early light.
Irony
st augustine
Sun’s Sentinel
Hugging the shore of Matanzas Bay,
Old coquina walls, built facing east
To scour the inlet for enemy fleets,
Now lay deep in sleep each incoming day.
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Nonstick Notions
Two small shrimpers, aging yet able,
Secured for repairs toward the end of the dock,
Spark brief fancies of high sea daring do
In passerby who’ll never try to depart.
Morning Respite on the San Sebastian River
Returned from their night run
With outriggers high,
The catch unloaded,
And their crews scattered wide,
Shrimp boats rest easy,
Mirrored in the still waters.
Aficionada at Georgie’s Diner in the Time of Plague
She arrives deliberately early,
Predawn darkness, doors now unlocking.
Social-distancing conscious
And middle-counter blocking,
She studies the specials,
Her eyes slow-list descending;
Hidden under her breath, tasteful recitations
Savoring intimations
Of the more fulfilling respites.
Holy Night in St Augustine
Sailboat swings in midnight’s breeze,
Rocking the crew below to sleep.
Waterfront buildings light the quay
As eve gives way to Christmas day.
Fresh Start
The sun rises over the Matanzas Inlet,
Washing the facades of the waterfront shops
And stirring the family asleep below deck.
First gift of a good morning.
Mind Design
The weathered window is shuttered
And the potted plants untended.
Still, that unknown and unseen within
Conjures an awe-full image.
Morning at Castillo de San Marcos
The paths by the sea are quiet this early in the day
As the sun rises over the Matanzas Bay Inlet,
Gifting golden rays to the eastern walls and trees.
Vilano Images 