What’s that you carry on your back?

The black stone of my story.

What do you keep under your tongue?

A song my mother taught me.

What are you gripping in your fist?

A ship the sea has broken.

What can I see behind your eyes?

The sky, a star, an ocean.

Blue sky, a star, an ocean.

 

 

Let go the stone. Forget the song.

They only weigh you down.

Release that weather-beaten boat.

It will not float again.

Trust your eyes. The sky is wide.

The stars will always guide us.

Salt water’s our most ancient part,

A dark sea deep inside us.

An ocean deep inside us.

 

Published in Brittle Star, 2020