Flores Part 2

Remind me my avenues
Portuguese liquor
reinforcing emotions
aguardente. Telenovelas slip
in spaces between teeth
and terracotta rooftops

—

and. liquor
working
not working
men shirtless
on top of houses
or stepping out
from the Atlantic
in any weather

—

such a silence that knew
through the fog
codeine from the store
by the community center
on slow days so that the moss
felt like home and those strange
flowers — an invasive species
which cracked the island earth

—

down four foot volcanic moss
walls to lean into
soft damp
women named
Telma, Esmerelda & Nelia
no hums

—

eggs bought & sold
loose carried in plastic
bags. milk and yogurt too.
Left out. No refrigeration
stacks of kiwi, pear, strawberry
Activia from the food boat
when it could make it
through the storms
across the ocean
ladies come and go
grabbing yogurt

—

Remind me my avenues
Nelia’s yellow Porsche
ordered from a catalogue
delivered to her
by boat. Yes everything
came on that boat
eponymous food boat

—

Michel, the one armed sailor
of Lomba, next town over
rarely came to Lajes.
He lived in isolation
made his own oasis
on an island of

—

scarcity and little demand
where the animal population
equals human
and no exit is a promise
newspapers, magazines, movies
— a distant vision
an archipelago. Away

—

Is this paradise? Warm
toast with cheese, a tosta
costs a few coins
along with a highball full
of espresso and foamy milk.
Pretensions don’t seem to exist.
Farmer’s daughter is the
closest thing to a rock star.