Green ribbon hedges bound with bright hibiscus

Flame petal carpets under rain-washed trees

Early morning rooster call and echoing reply

As the pale was of dawn lights up the day

The peace of morning ruffled only by whispering palms

While the merciless sun steals into melt away the shade

In a sunlit corner or under a shady bough

Not far from home, a loved-one’s tomb

Enfolding itself in nature’s bounty

To be cherished everyday

Bleached-bone trees along the shoreline

The ocean flashing blue between

Pale yellow flowers which bend to kiss the sand

Glittering tide race and gentle roar of surf upon the reef

Flat light of noon in silken heat lying heavy on the sea

Blue starfish woven deep in coral lace

Awaiting the cooling nights, while in the shallows

A myriad tiny fish taunt the dipping terns

Thunderous clouds aflame in dusky light

Pooled pink in duck-egg blue

The sky velvet dark, strewn with outsize stars

While far below the ghostly glide of a hundred tiny crabs over silver sand.

            Karin Simon