Costa Rica
the lovely waters
deceptive tides
currents drag you down and along the reef
while balmy breezes in full cliche
whisper lightly
through the palms on silk-soft beaches
here stood Caribs with golden skin and flashing eyes
and Spaniard conquerors who conquered less here
perhaps than elsewhere
as the richness of the land lay less
in metallic plunder
and more
in the mountains and valleys
in the forests and beaches
in the birds and the bees
that shelter resilient, proud
survivors