His Vision For His Place Poem by RIC BASTASA

his eyes look for hidden springs
surging from the rocky crevices of the old mountains
and he finds them
his hands caress the river that is long and winding
like it is the wedding dress of her beloved
soon his dragon boats will come
with a hundred paddles like a millipede on its tiny feet
he sees floating restaurants sprouting like mushrooms
by the side of the mangroves where colored stone fishes
shall thrive like seaweeds and sea urchins

everything is eco-friendly
the silence of the nights shall be preserved
the people of his place shall sleep soundly
there will be no crimes and abuse of the land and sea

and those that hinder him
shall float and bloat in the river
their heads explode their brains scatter on the rocks
they shall disappear without any trace
their eyes plucked out their mouths sliced from their faces
summarily and quickly and without so much fuss
their mothers and fathers cannot even weep
they will be faceless and nameless and will have no place to stay


he is the mayor of this town and his popularity rises
he will soon be governor and even in time be president of this country

his first name is the bullet and his family name is the gun
he is judge and prosecutor rolled into one