my heartfelt ode, although not Neruda


Ode to my Sunglasses

Oh wondrous form!
Forty pesos of rhinestoned glory;
White rose of Chiapas.
What honored fabrica lovingly tattooed "hecho" on your ample arm?

Guardian of iris and pupil
Deflector of UV
Veil of Obscurity
Biolab goggles
Pick-up riding, mosquito splattered windshield
Unscratched, unbent, unfashionable
Perfect companion
Frosting on my cake
My temple's adornment

When I slipped you on
(tenderly over nose, cheeks, ears and brow)
Shimmering in the sunlight
My inner Latina sa-wa-ayed
her bronzed hips in the rhythm of a sultry tune

Oh! but I let you go!
I underestimated the current of the river!
In an instant
(like an arrow through my heart)
You were snatched from my crown
Swept from my grasping fingers
And sank
Beneath the aquamarine ripples.
Gone.

Yesterday I was Ready For Anything
Now I am simply Blinded Traveler,
Squinting.