Escape notes

staying stoic

among the caterwauls,

the legions of false faces,

the theatrics – like trained animals we jump

 for hard-earned pay

let others plunder their wayward souls;

we’ll form a secret resistance,

paint glitter onto bank notes

as we plot our escapes

we’ll leave them to it,

be cleansed by sun and shade

and accept hunger

as pay

for the better world we’ve made

Rocky Neck

art plied honestly

in sweat and heat

hard wrought

beside the sun-kissed lobstermen

waving gracefully

to rough locals

and soft tourists

where joyous newlyweds

sketch their own future

panel by panel

muck deep

in tiny horseshoe crabs

scrambling in low tide pools

away from baby girls

where dogs swim

beside the private beaches

and the rich sands

are slick

with stubborn seaweed carpets

let’s be worthy of this place,

may we have the good sense

to live lives

as beautiful as this