Louis Slee
The Crabs of Cardenas
The manglares empty los carngrejos,
gray crabs from swamps and mangrove trees
along the coastal beaches of Cardenas, Cuba .
They march by the thousands to the bay,
a tap dancing army of crustaceans
soldiers of fortune commanded by instinct.
The long-legged grays mad with desire
dash to deliver their fertile cargoes
to brackish pools with seaweed cribs.
The natives wait for the season of change,
the primeval signal to escape from the swamps
and mangrove trees pregnant with hope.
Bio
Louis F. Slee began reading poetry at the age of seven in Woodside, Queens. Now more than seventy years later he's beginning to submit poems for publication. He has had an extensive career in journalism and technical writing, has traveled widely in Latin America, and calls Colombia his second home. He currently resides in Princeton, NJ.