Rooster on the Beach
strutting like a populist
cocksure, cock of the walk,
ruler of the roost
ready to crow
dawn, or no dawn.
Hacienda Merida (Ometepe)
It’s 5 AM and still dark as the lake
when the rooster starts his clownish complaint
damn pre-emptive cock.
He is quickly joined by the village dogs,
the gecko on the wall behind the bed
birds and more birds
and finally Fiona the donkey
whose hoarse and outraged heehaw
signals she is not ready for another day
tethered to a pole in fickle shade.
Taking part in Open Link over at dverse.
Stopdraggingthepanda 
this is terrific ! both poems are a delight — and the photos too 🙂
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Thank you John!
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you are getting back to top form, like you achieved in the poems you wrote before your long break —
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Both of those characterize roosters so well. Add in rapist and sneak attacker and you have the whole picture. When we had chickens a few years back it was shocking to see how the rooster treated the hens. We kept him until he spurred me when I turned my back on him.
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Are you sure that these poems aren’t about Trump?!? 😂
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The first one, definitely!
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Now there’s a thought!
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What Central American enclave were you in?
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On the volcanic island of Ometepe on Lake Nicaragua. Quite the place.
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Ah. I wondered what Ometepe was. My ancestor, Henry Zane Jenkins, on his way home from California in 1853, crossed Lake Nicaragua and described it (part of my book, Fortune’s Frenzy). In 1976, when we lived in Guatemala, I went to Managua for a thespian festival/competition. I’ll never forget how ridiculously hot it was there!
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You have intrepid ancestors , Eilene! Hacienda Merieda had a very earnest Californian hippie type vibe. Lovely place except I got food poisoning from the vegetarian buffet. Shouldn’t have gone for second helpings!
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I definitely come from people with adventurous spirits! Bummer about the food poisoning. I’ve been lucky in my Central American meals.
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Your rooster strutting on the beach made me smile, Jjim. I like the sound of a cockerel crowing but my husband doesn’t – our neighbour’s cockerel always wakes him up. He would agree with ‘clownish complaint’ and that it’s a ‘damn pre-emptive cock’!
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Sorry for the poor typing of your name, Jim.
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Thank you Kim!
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My pleasure, Jim!
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The rooster is the root to all evil, bad mornings and cocksure bosses.
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Jim, delightful write!
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Thank you…much appreciated!
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You’ve created such vivid, evocative scenes in both poems, Jim! And the photos are great. No roosters on New Jersey beaches (except the strutting human kind).
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Thank you Merril, much appreciated! (the feathered kind are preferable!)
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You’re welcome! 😊
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