the sea

the sea

Sea photo by Big Cat

supple  f a ll    a   l  e n g t h   of it  taken  into the rise again   and
the skin thick as sleep the
skin draws like an ankle
strengthening into step    the
skin of the sea plastered with wind
passing on and on the darkness of
summer clouds.

sandstone    gathered     and laid    like canvas in that motion
a bottle rolling below deck    the
cliffs galing with leaves and    the
halyard winds caught up
and down draughting.

under    the skin    the light spun down    over weed  fish  stare
blind as omen until the

sitting pretty

sitting pretty

seeing it
through
the front
window,
he took
his cup of
coffee
from the
kitchen out
the front door,
stiff to open
from that
swollen
wood,
the jamb
of old.
a few strides
across the road,
that moment quiet,
walked down the
bank that coffee
in hand

soothe

soothe
for Keikei (璣璣) whose name is of the pearl

pearl-fisher

it’s said,
to smooth
an awkward
grain of sand
within, the
oyster
clouds it
over in
cream
of pearl

so you
the pearl
by name
were the
the soothing
of your
parents’
tie, their
sweetest
knot made
round

you
the pearl
by name
the sun
in cloud
describes
as well
as a moon
in night’s
closed
flesh