Sea Glass Poem for reading at the Main Library in Ft. Lauderdale

Here is the poem I read with many other delightful poets, including Anastasia Clark and Jane Glasser at last night's reading at the Main Library in Ft. Lauderdale

Corsica, 1985

It’s Bastille Day in the Corsican port of Macinaggio

in the municipality of Rogliano, Haute Corse,

and the island summer heat propels us seaward to sail

the Tyrrhenian toward the inviting Finnochiarola Islet

where we dive into crystal waters, swim and bask

beneath a fantasy sun in a Hollywood painted sky,

a mélange, a make-believe rainbow set, too beautiful to be real.

On the late afternoon ride back to port I fling into the cobalt ocean—  

now mimicking the changed splattered sky—

a corked sea-green wine bottle into which I’ve placed

a love note and musings of the day’s remembrances.

At dusk, we dance in the streets to wild, thrumming music,

sip rosé wine we pour from a five-liter brown jug.

At night topside of The Lady Drifter we watch fireworks

ignite the heavens with purple pinwheels, cream-colored

cartwheels, Cezanne-sketched Catherine wheels.

Years later on a Florida beach by the Hillsboro Inlet

nesting places for sea turtles upwards of the beach

are cordoned off among creeper-crawler sea grape and white-

throated wild lavender flora resembling morning glories.

A sea-smoothed, palm-sized piece of green glass catches the sunlight

and I’m spellbound, my mind mesmerized in an out of control

spin of narration: inventing, creating, imagining a story

about the bottle I threw overboard as an offering to Corsican

mermaids and sailors not lucky enough to purchase

a baby’s caul as a protective veil against drowning.

Coffee Cake (Crumb Cake)

Here is a fabulous recipe for one of my Dad's favorites...
Coffee Cake or Crumb Cake

It is very easy, and doesn't take a lot of time to prepare.

You need a cookie sheet with sides.  I use a rather large one so that the cake is thin and the crumbs are thick.

Ingredients:

I cheat and use 1 yellow cake mix (any brand will do, I use Betty Crocker!)
whatever the cake mix requires

For crumbs:
2 1/2 sticks of butter or margarine (softened)
1 cup of sugar
2 - 3 cups of flour (I use my hands to feel the consistency, it should be fairly dry and rice like)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon

Prepare cake mix per box instructions and put in greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 12 minutes. While cake is baking, in a large bowl, cream sugar and butter.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix until the desired consistency.  Take cake out of oven and sprinkle crumb mixture over it.  Return to oven and bake for another 11 minutes.  Toothpick must come out clean.  Sprinkle confectionery sugar and enjoy!!!!!

For the very spoiled, I sprinkle a mixed version of the powdered sugar with a little bit of cocoa!