In Paradise
We nestle at the edge of a Florida swamp
Where a misty morning
Settles uneasily on the twisted canal
Behind this house.
A blue heron sails by
Caught in a gust of summer wind,
While an alligator’s bark breaks
The eerie light of dawn.
The scents of jasmine,
Magnolia, and gardenia,
Mingle with the colors of pink azaleas
And Tangerine hibiscus.
A hawk with a damaged wing
Sinks talons into a rotting stump
That was once a towering oak
Draped in Spanish moss.
The chimes I hung
Clang out warnings
To those who live
In this world of sun and sand.
Then the thunder of the hurricane
Charges like a rhinoceros
Through the tumbling trees
And tangled growth.
We crouch together
On this flimsy back porch
As my sibling grins at me
In primitive anticipation.
I mutter ancient prayers
That we will dodge the beast
When it finds us in paradise
And hears my sister’s laughter.
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