THE SEA SONG

He pulls the tide to the shore
From the watery depths of anonymity
Past the fishing boats at dawn
To the feet of the little princess
That danced in the sands of joy
On the music of the rains.

He throws back the waves
After a rocky storm at the docks
Curdling and coiling, chastened
Into the grave of time
To guard the sleep of her eyes
From eloping with the night.

Will the wet knots of her hair
Chain the fires of his heart forever?

THE BECKONING

Every now and then
From the edges of her kurtis
And the flares of her jeans
Life beckons.

Daily phonecalls to home
Rehearsed down to the silences;
And the bark of the petted dog
The books splintered with words
A folder full of music
Life beckons.

I smoke away the voice
Killing myself a bit,
The time to live is long gone
I was born late.

The tears aren’t coming;
The fears are.
Will I live unlived?
Will I die alive?
I am deaf with doubts whenever
Life beckons.