At The Bottom and Others

At The Bottom Of The Bay

At the bottom of Casco Bay is a tomb. The Don sleeps in her watery grave. The locals tell, in their own way How a pleasure cruise on a Sunday, Entombed thirty four people with no warning. Basking on the forward deck, Otto McKenzie and his wife, Took in the whales sounding, Toward the starboard bow, Out off the rocky shoals. My, what a great day for a jaunt! Over on the port side gulls Floated on the near placid waters. There are those that say a boat trip, Hampered not by worry is Eternally sound and close to heaven. But somehow catastrophe struck, As sometimes happens in even tranquil times. Years passed and still The Don sleeps on.

----------------

Alligator Infested Water

Off to the right of our pirogue

an alligator slid off the banks,

soft splash, a bumpy-log

followed in our wake.

We polled near the inlet

of Lake Pontchartrain,

fishing and story telling.

"Look out, here comes

another big one.

We used to catch them

in the canals with chicken

when I was a boy..."

Yup here comes another

big one, I thought.

The evening shadows

grew longer

and the tales got taller,

as we basked in the perfection

of a Louisiana

summer evening.

Off to the right of our pirogue

an alligator slid off the banks,

soft splash, a bumpy-log

followed in our wake.

-----------------

Ocean First View

If I had known

It was the last time I would see you

Dear ocean,

I would have saved the memory,

Like a bottle enclosed

Note:

Slowly slipping away

With the tides.

If I could remember

The first time I saw you,

Dear ocean,

I would resurrect the memory

As something beautiful

and monumental.

Life has slipped away

With the tides.