Look out for the words
hidden under the water
The moment before the wave crashes
wave
She watched the stranger
She watched the stranger approach. He strode across the beach, his shadow long in the evening sun. On the horizon, waves grew.
The wood you stand on
The wood you stand on, washed up flotsam on the stones,
once held my father’s weight above the waves;
the rusted bolt you kick with a thoughtful frown
kept closed the press which held his family maps.
It will be a found feature in your off-white apartment,
a reminder of the sea to bring the old outdoors inside.
Treat it kindly, with due respect.
It held safe their lives until that day
and now outlives them.
Airport
Leavers have it easy.
Arrowed doors pull them forward, hearts speeding.
Stayers, the wavers, don’t know when to turn and move away.
Winter sea
The riptide curled, waves crested and rolled, roiled up and over the lone rock in the stone grey sea, and the snow was gone.
simonsalento 