March Sunset Duet
Two Sides of the Bank: James City and Surry/Chasing Slices
Two Sides of the Bank: James City and Surry
Its sand dots the other
side, sways so close I see the sine
waves of pine branches in sunset.
A solitary spot of red signals
for sails and motors alike, though
solely seagulls and geese
squawk and honk in kind. I
swim glances beyond the brackish susurrus,
beyond the sublime bargain of
premature seventies before the ides
of March, beyond the crepuscular song
(so out of tune) of that geese
couple, a couple of sapling
-like leaves amid the senescent.
They whisper of starting over
before the river takes to the sea.
Chasing Slices
The waves crash and I crash
out of my red-and-white floral
patterned beach mat, veer barefoot
to the sand damp with water
unaware of the air’s unseasonal
thermal dance, unaware of how I
want that little slice
of vermillion to swell in my
eyes. If only sprinting at the horizon
could force its hand. But
the slice of the horizon
pie doesn’t wax
poetic; the river current
loses its currant reflection as the sky
flavor changes: golden gooseberry
to raspberry to tart blueberry
to moldy blackberry. Maybe
beauty berries bite in
the mouth of the
beholder.
I took the picture and wrote both of these poems around sunset last night. Let me know which one y’all prefer!