masked crab

masked crab

nestled in a tiny crab-sized crevice
tucked beneath the turbidite rock
safe
lurking under a blanket of tangled kelp
protected
scuttling cautiously or
cowering shadow still
camouflaged by kindness


your shell a mask
no emotion betrayed
concealed
tight breath drawn through
hollow antennae
distance

keep your hidden heart buried urchin-safe
beneath the sunlit sand

mottled

magpie moths spread their wings in the patchy sunlight

velvety with seams of river gold caught between dark boulders

too delicate to touch

too still to fly

song of the sea

song of the sea

and she whispered:

let's go down to the sea, the sparkling sea

where my heart beats in time to the rhythmic waves

and my soul soars high with the glaucous gull.

in this magical world where the sky paints the water

i hear my silent thoughts ever louder

as the waves crash on the golden sand.

i see my self faint and fleeting

in the shimmer of a well-worn stone.

beauty and truth slowly unfurl

with the incoming tide

and are shown to me,

for they are mine.

i reach out and touch them before

they are carried away by a mermaid

down into the deep.

this song of me

the song of the sea.