My world is small:
Some hibiscus
And a coral wall.

Next to me,
A flower shakes
Against the sea.

The only sound the bombs
Of unseen surf—
And palms:

The slither of a frond
And of the reef
Beyond,

The waving island growing black
Above the mountains
At my back.

Nothing more involved than this:
Night's umbrella,
My abyss.

Kailua
August 3rd, 2003