St. Petersburg, Florida, 13 January 2006
Every senile house frau and post-war
Pensioner from Piscataway to Yonkers
Retired here June of the same year
Seconds after every alligator swamp
Was back-filled with jetty dredge
Bootleg booze and sunset cruises
Smuggled from Cuba during prohibition
People in shorts dropped from the sky
Like Papa Hemingway's six-toed tomcat
Chucked in the pool from a motel balcony
Marine architects and salvage wreckers
Fishing trophy marlin and schools of skipjack
Fathoms from home-port lagoon cesspools
And predictable stops at Outback Steakhouse
Key West to munch on kookaburra wings
Hemingway Daiquiri
Juice of an eighth of a grapefruit and a lime
Add a dash of maraschino liqueur
Drop in a shot and half of light rum
Shake with ice and strain
Serve straight up in a cocktail glass