Hotel Del Coronado

She unwraps the newspaper
and lifts it from the box,
palm trees and red rooftops promenade
across her beloved watercolor.

Back in her early twenties,
she caught the bus to meet sailors
in that ball room, and danced
all night to big band music.

Pictures of royalty and movie stars
lined the hallways, behind
brilliant frames. Chandeliers
hung in the lobby.

There, she sunbathed on the Silver Stand
while naval ships passed by.

Now, sea scents fill her mind,
as eighty-year old fingers trace
the glass.

Staring at the ragged palm
outside her desert home,
she squints her eyes--and pretends
she’s in San Diego.