A LIFE AT SEA
I was having trouble standing
On the deck. Long arms of dull
Light reached out across the waves
And tilted toward me as if to say
Something. The sea birds became tongues.
The wind played harp and the old
Stories stole back into me.
I wasn’t supposed to remember
These things. I could hear them
As if they were a freight train somewhere
In the night hurrying past carrying
Too much sorrow, too many stories
For any one person to know even
If they were never to own them.
This was not history. My skin dissolved.
My veins and arteries unwound and
Spread across the sky. My bones
Pushed my body apart. Soon I would
Become the night. The night completely.
Able to visit you in your dreams,
Tell you whatever I wanted. I
Could see thoughts gather like
Cumulus clouds and fill the salt
Air high above the cliffs.
Children were running along the cliff edge.
They were flying kites out over the water.
I could hear their laughter.
Everyday should be like this.
I steadied myself against the
Main mast and made my way
Back below decks. The light
Continued to glow. Your face
Seemed to lift from the dark
Of the crew quarters.
I would be surprised to see
Others here once again. I fell
Into my hammock. Soon the sea
Had me in thrall and I slept
A thousand years dreaming the whole while.
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