In The House By The Sea

[jms]

In The House, By The Sea

There the young girl lived
with her grandfather.

On Monday he would prune his roses;

Tuesday she would collect sea-shells;

and Wednesday
she would cast them in circles
and mosaics, to reveal
Thursday, and Friday.

On Saturday they would sit
and listen, to the hush of the waves
on the shore, taking bites
of the salt air, talking
between themselves.

"What is, has been,
and will be again."

And on Sunday, the sand having drifted overnight
through their garden gate
and picket fence
he would brush it back
and rake it from the lawn; then

for tea she might pick gooseberries
from the garden, make crumble
that would taste just that
ever bit so salty.

There
they would sleep, and dream
of drowning, in the ocean.

Before Monday came.

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