Primal Scenes

Mesmerized on a beach, under a full moon, fire burning in iron spheres in the sea, flickering to faces of nameless revelers in the sand, waves lapping, warm and hot air, cool and warm water, steel drums and outboard motors, local kids on tire swings and rich white men too drunk to recognize their own dinghy at the end, and at last friends dropping out of the sky a stroll away through the brush after thirty-six hours delayed in four cities… and then the fire again, standing up to knees in salt water with fire on both sides.

In the morning, a gently rocking boat, cool quiet blueness, a gathering trade wind, and the whisping urge to hoist the sails.