Isla de Ometepe
I.
In the half-light of the apricot-streaked sky
Cocicolco rolls leaden-colored waves
towards the black sand shore
Straight in his saddle
a man rides a chestnut mare
at the water’s edge
A colt follows in quick
small
steps
Dark clouds enshroud
the southern volcano
Leaves twist & sway
in the strong morning breeze
II.
The lake is blue-grey
in the dusky colors
of nightfall
Streaks of pale ochre & orchid
from the disappeared sun
ripple across its surface
On the far
low-rolling horizon
on the other shore
a volcanic cone becomes
a silhouette
On the near horizon
behind this village
Volcán Concepción darkens
its steep slopes lava-red
tree-green ash-grey
A full moon rises above its summit
a silvery-white ball
hidden revealed
by swift clouds
On the far
low-rolling horizon
village lights shimmer silently
On that shore
a column of smoke rises
lighter than the approaching night
The dusky orange
of burning sugar cane
licks the darkening land
III.
A ship
full of pre-dawn treaders
cuts slowly steadily
through the still dark water
We journey
into the fast-
fleeing night
The sun begins to color
the sky behind twin volcanoes
The just-past full moon
still shimmers
on Cocicolco
Clouds catch
on the volcano cones
& flow down the sides
Mist rises from the water
Clouds lie
heavy on
the horizon
As we approach
the mainland
A bright yellow-orange ball rises
above the banks of clouds
south of the island
Poet, translator and travel writer Lorraine Caputo’s works appear in over 180 journals on six continents, and in 12 chapbooks of poetry including Caribbean Nights (Red Bird Chapbooks, 2014), Notes from the Patagonia (dancing girl press, 2017) and On Galápagos Shores (dancing girl press, 2019). She travels through Latin America doing poetry readings and listening to the voices of the pueblos and Earth. Follow her travels at facebook.com/ lorrainecaputo.wanderer and latinamericawanderer.wordpress.com.
