In the Everglades,
one evening, after work,
the Finnish girl and I sat on the roof
watching lights way out on the water.
We felt a breeze from Havana,
heard merengue on Miami FM,
sipped beers from a vending machine,
slapped mosquitoes.
Beneath the endless swamp of stars
I imagined our future after paradise,
like an alligator—
half asleep, with one eye open.
