Tulum: Dead fish and a life jacket

PLATTER

the girls who
watched me
feed the cat at
last night’s
dinner said hello again
today as I
stepped from my hut they made
small talk of acorns &
seafoam -- & coconuts &
feeding the cat – their
dad’s booming voice then screamed
loud behind a palm tree said
“come here right now” it sent
shivers down our spines – I’ll bet
he told them don’t talk to
strangers – especially with
red hair and tattoos – he probably told
the girls I would chop them up in
pieces and hurl their remains in
the sea – how

sad that the world is so
paranoid – how sad that it’s
frequently justified.

-Ryn Gargulinski

Tulum: Barefeet and bird baths

ODE TO RETREATS

sweet hiatus you
need to be a
tender constant.

-Ryn Gargulinski

Tulum: Vertigo, shadow and a bottle collection

COURAGE

courage
doesn’t have to be
something big it just
needs to be
courageous like
wearing those
glasses with
rhinestones – or
letting your
hair soak
in the rain.

-Ryn Gargulinski

Tulum: Palm tree, two dogs and a glow in the dark lifesaver

Tulum: Real dogs, substitute dogs and random dogs

SUBSTITUTE DOGS

for Phoebe and Sawyer with love from
substitute dogs Sadie and George

I’ve found two
substitute dogs on the
beach – as my real dogs they
had to stay home – the beach dogs
don’t play dead but they
know how to sit but alas I have
nothing to feed them – unless
they want cigarets or Altoids – they
swim very well yet don’t
come when they’re called but then
neither do my
two dogs at
home.

-Ryn Gargulinski

Tulum: More palm trees and some rock scene

IT ALWAYS RAINS IN CASEVILLE

Everything can
suck – if you have the
right mind set just
add a scoop of
negative a
mad dash of
hate – the starlight’s

too bright the
ocean waves too
raucous the
sun is too
yellow the
grass much too
green – you can

even kill the
joy of a
bubble bath – by
bemoaning that the
water’s much too
wet.

-Ryn Gargulinski

Tulum: Leaning tree and two coconuts

PLATTER

the beach
at night
has secrets – only seen
in the beam of a
flashlight – all the
white crabs who
skitter as if
caught in a lie or
the ones who
stand bold to do
battle – with the
claws poised sharp
points scissored wide – or the
others who hunker since you
caught them at
murder as you glance a
skinned fish quite
beneath them – with its
guts loose and missing
an eye.

-Ryn Gargulinski

Tulum: Night scenes and a car wreck

Tulum: Cat, crab and a coyote painting

TAXI

the chaos and
mayhem of the
airport – remind me
quite fondly of
my brain.

-Ryn Gargulinski

Fun and games at the Cancun airport

New Rat Stanley in all his hairless glory

R.I.P. Mica

ODE TO MICA

Dec. 2007 – Jan. 2008

I buried my rat in
the front
so

her grave would
face west towards the
sunset

I could
see the soft mound when
I came home from work

she’d get
morning shade, better
guard us from strangers

the neighbors and
travelers could enjoy
her fine shrine

the dogs, who
frolic in the back, would not
dig her up.

-Ryn Gargulinski, Jan. 2008