Sunlight through red veins
of coleus. Your palm
dawns on me.
Corrugated hailstorms–
metal roof, earthquake
of ten-pound iguanas.
Shy thicket bird, ancient
tinamu steps out
among newcomers.
Honor flows both ways.
Three agouti bow
to the rushing stream.
Far cries of howler monkeys
turn our heads.
Towering stand–
giant bamboo
tonks and groans,
arthritic pirate ship
overladen with lost
dreams, bones.
Birds we most desire
se vuelve, se fué.
Tiny black frog
Ramón delicately sets
on a stump–bright green
markings, our innocence.
Snakes, bats, a lost
fanny pack, zipping
heights, steep downhill
hike, the dead sure
bite of all we fear.
Prim British lay-dee
with perfect posture,
wizened pair of marimba
players, six mallets
bouncing out El Rancho
Grande. The guitarist’s
wink. A widow,
this dancer. Her vow
never to sit out
another baile.