Down the Loxahatchee

An early morning launch
with paddle and kayak,
she arrests seclusion.

Caught up in the current,
she purely steers
through the interwoven river trail.

The mangrove roots,
like bare flamingo legs,
relax inoffensively on the bank.

Sable palm trees bow
toward her,
giving shade.

Up ahead, an alligator
bathes in sunlight,
cautious of her presence

She ducks below
the golden gate
of a bolstered fallen cypress.

To take her seat
upon its throne,
this river’s sacred empress.