Port Royal

By C. Dale Young

Jamaica, 1960

Ignoring the local reliquiae—
neoclassical arches in ruin,
courtyards, their fountains toppled,

prados flourishing in prickle-weed, esplanades
no longer level enough to collect rainwater,
much less respect for the Imperio de España

tarnished by an islander’s mock-British accent—
two fisherman returned at sundown.
Antiquaries themselves, these fishermen

schooled in the currents, the tide,
the tunneled limestone of the coral reefs,
preferred the graceful curves of the £.

At the landing, five children, single file,
marched away the birds like soldiers,
the learned lyrics escaping their lips:

Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves.

Copyright Credit: “Port Royal” by C. Dale Young from The day underneath the day. © 2001 by C. Dale Young. Published by TriQuarterly/Northwestern University Press. All rights reserved.
Source: The Day Underneath the Day (TriQuarterly Books, 2001)