para mi hermano
Juan Bermudez

With my brother I walked out
along the jetty
the far side of the river
barely visible
vendors had set up stalls
and men were gambling
throwing dice
down on the hard packed dirt
one had a red-tailed boa
that he kept close at hand
pulling it back before
it crawled beyond his reach

The sun was setting
the air was wet and salty
there were little crabs decked out
in the bright colors of the tropics
small waves slapped against the jetty
on the one side
while on the other
the slow moving Magdalena
seemed nearly another ocean

It's been forty years
but in my mind
I still can taste
the salt air
feel the heaviness
of evening closing in
witness the sun's
red-orange disk
as it sinks slowly
through the haze
into the darkling sea