"Cozumel, et al"

"Cozumel, et al"

It likes to fashion itself a tourist

town, but the plain truth is that it is

like every other windblown community

on Mexico’s bustling eastern coast,

shunning the word “trap” but fleecing

its bread and butter as they stream

off cruise ships, stumble through

Spanish and waltz off with pride

for arguing a twenty-dollar necklace

down to eight, never knowing its real

value is a buck and a half.

Matthew Bosisio, a longtime teacher at two universities, is retired and living in Seattle.

SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).

SHARING STORIES is featured on www.northwestprimetime.com, the website for Northwest Prime Time, a monthly publication for baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those contemplating retirement. The newspaper can be found in the greater Seattle area and other Puget Sound locations. For more information, call 206-824-8600 or visit www.northwestprimetime.com. To find other SHARING STORIES articles on this website type "sharing stories" in the search function above.