Colorado Lagoon, Long Beach, CA

By Kevin Masmela

It’s the middle of December & as I sit here

with my eyes closed, letting the sun soak into my eyelids

I obsess with the way the rays sink into my eyes

even when they remain shut. That sun kissed

Christmas breeze that reminds you why you live

here in California, where you don’t find Christmas

trees in the ground, rather floating above water

because mermaids believe in Santa too—

The ducks here have never seen snow & neither have I...

I wonder if they even know it’s winter time

I wonder if pelicans can pierce through the ice

I wonder how many reindeer it would take to move the world—

questions I ask myself every time I’m sitting here.

If only this lagoon was frozen, then we could all figure skate

infinity signs until the light hits again, melting the water,

letting the sirens sing, so the ducks can fly home.

By Kevin Masmela