Notes About The Poem
Quiet rhythms and vibrant biodiversity of Key West’s coastal fringe, where the dramatic boundary between land and sea breathes with life.
Inside the Glass
Amber light spills across the shifting floor,
As trade winds comb the wide, uncrowded shore.
Ghostly sand crabs roam the sunny beach,
Scurrying back to caves just out of reach.
While hermit crabs—like fiddlers in the track—
Carry their borrowed houses on their back.
Seaweed lies scattered along the wet strand,
As busy beach-hoppers leap across the sand.
Left in the wake, a colorful display
Of scattered shells lies brightening the day:
Scotch bonnets shine, and ridged-back cockles gleam,
With bay scallops and coquina in between.
The empty conchs speak secrets of the deep,
While smooth olive shells and sand dollars sleep.
As rushing waves pass over wet sand beds,
The hidden sand fleas duck their tiny heads,
And try to bury deep beneath the foam
Before the pulling water returns home.
Along the surf, the sandpipers race,
Chasing the foam in a frantic pace,
Probing the wet sand for something to eat,
Dancing away on their tiny feet.
Clear water crests in a brilliant blue,
Crashing down with a rhythm true,
Irregular waves roll up the shore,
Then pull back out to the sea once more,
A muffled, deep, resounding ring,
Like diving deep where the ocean swells sing.
Just past the shallows, the water is clear,
Where the lip of the wave starts to appear.
Bright silver mullets dart through the green,
Leaping and twisting, a beautiful scene.
Small striped sweeps ride the tubular curl,
Gliding suspended in a liquid swirl,
Caught for a moment inside the glass,
Watching the beach and the walker pass.
High overhead, the white gulls lean and soar,
Riding the updrafts of the quiet shore.
A noble pelican slows in the sky,
Eyeing the shallows where the breakers lie,
It folds its wings to make the final dive,
While in the dark, the deep sea stays alive.
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