Leaving troubled times behind
people by the hundreds
gather on the beach
black white yellow
young
old
dreadlocks
crew cuts
peasant skirts
capris
as incense wafts through the air
Some watch from chairs
the drummers creating patterns
others dance to
as the sun softly slips
beneath the sea
spreading criss-crossing streaks
of purple-orange-pink

In this circle of sand
around a mound
of palm leaves
flowers and lights
the thrumming goes on and on
as fully immersed
in the moment
women blissfully smile
while hitching their hips
from side to slinky side
waving their arms
and stroking the air
with graceful fingers
Tiny cymbals clink
Rainbow ribbons flow
Sticks are knocked
against blocks of wood
Bells jingle-jangle
Flashing hula hoops
and twirling batons
spin colored lights into a blur
as the hum
of a communal heartbeat
rises and falls
and all differences dissolve
into hope


© by Joan Kantor.
Used here with the author's permission.