by Ben Nardolilli
To save our world, the exotic will have to come closer,
With every imaginable form of beach
Brought to our shores, so that we might wander locally
Through the Caribbean, in sight of the Mediterranean,
Then onward to the Polynesian, and finally the Arctic,
Content with plastic palms and penguins,
Sipping margaritas one moment, and eating tapas the next
And through the reformed journey, we will stroll past rialto
After rialto, moving on promenades
Where the sound of the waves rolls over steel drum notes,
Every once in a while, a papier-mâché landmark
Will give us reason to stop and snap,
Enjoying these embassies of former littoral worlds
While the people in those old destinations struggle to float
Ben Nardolilli is an MFA candidate at Long Island University. His work has appeared in Perigee Magazine, Door Is a Jar, The Delmarva Review, Red Fez, The Oklahoma Review, Quail Bell Magazine, and Slab. Follow his publishing journey at mirrorsponge.blogspot.com.
Little Leaf Literary Journal 