He Came From the Crow’s Nest
When I dreamt of strength,
I dreamt of you: a sailor’s gentle
footfalls, weak sea legs that
leant into my salting earth,
whitely waiting for
your quivering fleet.
You arrived on the banks of my
stripped white shore, doveing sails,
but my world didn’t ask for explorers.
The flash of a golden telescope triggered
warning flags, my country’s
cannons at the ready but
I could not give
the merciless command
to fire or to fall
at your feet.
I was stranded,
lost in the sands of
my own banks.
Your eyes circled
intricate soft patterns into
my waiting skin, rooting
trees beneath my unturned soil.
But startled by sea servant’s footsteps,
I minded where my loyalties lay.
And suddenly in my sand, before your
lips planted into my promise,
the doubtful ocean washed away
our truncate, swirling love.
