Five Year Cycle

This year the locals say it is time for
a hard winter.
The levels are high in the aquifers
and reservoirs;
red mud streaks the sills and doors
of motor cars,
while Hispanic women of less than
a certain age
assume the scarves, boots and hats
of their elders.
There's snow on the hills, escaped from the
nearby mountains,
though sand and deserted marinas are scant
minutes away
on the Costa del Sol. This milky
sun misnomers
our location and we anglos have
become softer -
shivering in our fleeces rescued
from under beds.