(Lipari) (Sicilia 36)

I’ve watched street cats fight
dogs fuck
lizards scurry
dolphins leap
jellyfish sting
ants eat
birds soar
cattle graze
and goats awake.

but these upward walking creatures,
never have I seen such interesting specimens.
the dockman who was, not could be, the king of Atlantis.
the fashion model wearing neon green and silver shoes.
the blind woman stricken with poverty in a city of such wealth.
the singing man down the street with undiagnosed mental illness.
the traveling doctor who offered up companionship.
the young woman of perfection who offered up her arm.
the bakery shop woman serving extra smiles.
the dessert shop woman staying up late happily
the strangers who chose to be far less than strange
the Brazilian who spent the evening in conversation
the Arabs braving similar awkwardness searching for work.
the child delighted at his receipt of playing cards.
the girl playing in the street with a broken doll
and the Canadian who indulged and cherished life more now than ever before.