after Joachim du Bellay
by Kevin T McEneaney
In Iceland there’s no shortage of lava
while the ocean offers plenty of salt.
Combine these two common ingredients:
one arrives at superior skin cream
which is why the ladies appear so svelte.
For winter warmth the men drink icy gin
and among women sex is not a sin.
There is the burden of long winter nights
when everyone is thoroughly depressed—
they find some consolation in knitting
wool sweaters with traditional patterns
which are usually geometric.
Being cheerful is often a pretense
for the lid of isolation in life….
