Howard Firkin
It isn't paradise, but you can see
where paradise has been. A skilful guide
can show you where the seeds of Eden hide:
in birds and corals, in the deeper sea.
It isn't dormant or extinct. It bides.
The sea is always warm, the sky is often
blue, the drinks are served with too much ice,
the waitresses are pitilessly nice,
their smiles may sometimes fade, they never soften.
The pools are ringed with chairs and mock seasides.

A barely rolling stone, I came to rest,
but tourists are relentless as the tides;
rest is forbidden, happiness is stressed.
I've seen where sad, unangeled heaven hides.