OFF THE COAST, 1968

Off the Coast
near the trembling waters
on the beach's barbecue
an eccentric poet
mostly reaches
for the meat loaf
by the Cape's water
while I'm shaping
this geometric design
to paint on a canvas
by a laconic stream
of wild flowers
this saint of a poet
in a windbreaker
says his morning prayers
sits by the shore
adjusts to a metamorphosis
at second hand hour
refuses to go war
for Uncle Sam
and prays for peace
for the U.S.
and Vietnam.