Old St. Mary’s Church

—In memory of Alan Vinson, taken before his wedding day 

A brass cockerel perches sentinel
upon the gazebo dock: a compass
pointing north, guiding 
toward Old St. Mary’s Church 

followed by the autumn
birds in hesitant flight 
over the ribbons of the water
in the Indian River 

lagoon. Their wings whispering
in a gentle murmur.
Flocks of black slow-motion
boomerangs sweep 

and reshape with unity
their heavy wings
a sedate promenade

sunlight gilding their plumes:
a bridal veil
toward an unseen bride.

ROSE ANGELINA BAPTISTA

Rose Angelina Baptista is a Brazilian-American writer based in Florida. Her poems have appeared in The Wallace Stevens Journal, LitBreak and Gavea-Brown. Her unpublished chapbook, “Rio D’Ais: Poems of the Indian River Lagoon,” received a gold Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association in 2023.