Chapala

Chapala

 

Smart friends will think you’re rather chic

When you retire to Ajijic.

They’ll know that’s “where the water runs”

‘Neath temperate skies and gentle suns.

May even know Chapala Lake

Invites retirement for its sake;

Where anytime you might request a

Margarita and siesta.

Soft zephyrs blowing off the lake

Confirm again a temperate clime,

And gentle native folks partake

Of slower life, mañana time.

Sure, Lake Chapala’s northern shore

Will teem with life forever more,

With weary folks from distant shores,

With wounded veterans of life’s wars.

Medley birds and crowing cocks,

Tethered horses, cherished rocks.

Magazine “Ojo del Lago,”

Guacamole, avocado.

Tianguis market beckons me,

Your Wednesday’s camaraderie,

Your vivid palette to behold,

Your produce ripe, your colors bold,

Your spirit young, your manners old.

Utopia and Shangri-La

And then, of course, Valhalla—

While living though, we’ll stake our claim

Near lovely Lake Chapala,

Then thriving there, Insh’ala.

Mark Sconce