A yellow disc ascends in morning sky,

Illuminating earthbound waves. And sands

Glitter so brightly, sparkling crystals. High

Above the shore a sea bird searches, lands

And gathers hard-found sustenance, she must

Achieve another day of life. Her goal:

Survival of the progeny. They trust

And wait success, else lives become the toll

Of nature’s cruel, inevitable rush

Toward outcomes man is pow’rless to affect.

No wisdom, no technology can push

The march from natural change. But some reflect

On what our species does to block the road,

On arrogance, which is our moral load.

This begins a series I wrote to honor my long-time home, my beloved Miami Beach, Florida. It’s a wonderful, terrible, misunderstood place, and someday soon may disappear into the rising sea levels. South Beach, I miss you every day.