Friday, December 14, 2018

earth note 641






















i know you've walked 1500 miles
to find this empty bench
i can tell from your footprints
they have that worn look to them

the tide goes low a couple times a day
the sea folds out into a flat gleam
you told me once that everything
has a purpose and yours is to heal

there are pelicans that move their gullet
like they're swallowing a fish
but i'm not so sure that they're not just faking it
or showing off for other pelicans sometimes

if you stand in one place for too long
the sand will burn an image
on the bottom of your feet
so you need to keep walking

there are seas and empty benches everywhere
once you know your purpose

--- e b bortz

(published in Jawbone, Kent Ohio, May 4, 2019)

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