And Here…

The lovers watch waves,
staring into shapes,
like seasoned sailors.

Near this spot, in the early 50s,
a boat was found adrift
bearing the bodies of
a prominent businessman and his
best friend's wife.
She with hands delicately laced
together like challah bread.
He, sprawled out on the deck
like a gangster in pinstripes. And here

is where the carnival came to town.
Otherworldly folks
rolling in like a wild wave,
bright bracelets and beads
signaling sideshows.
The air heavy with
adolescent longing
and the cloying aroma of cotton candy,
funnel cakes and corn dogs.
Strains of Blue Danube Waltz
from the merry-go-round
to shrieks from the Fun House,
with its mirror mazes and moving floors. And here

is where a young man found
a diamond ring in the sand
on a hot, humid day in July,
that he gave to a girl
who later left him for
a preacher passing through. And here

is where an old hermit, who was a soldier
in one of the deadliest battles in history,
scavenged for scrapes of wood and seashells.

The lovers watch waves
and remember a child
who wandered away
unnoticed
with a handful of crackers
to feed the seagulls.

(Originally published in Branches, 2004, online)


Lori Romero’s short screenplay, “Strange Saints,” won the Manhattan Short Film Festival’s Screenplay Competition. Her chapbook, “Wall to Wall,” was published by Finishing Line Press. Lori's poetry and short stories have been published in more than seventy journals and anthologies, and she was just nominated for a second Pushcart Prize.