Parrot Fish

Spending February in St. George, Bermuda was, as they say, food for the soul. The waters are truly iridescent. We were fortunate to see a bright parrot fish on one of our many hikes. When I got my camera out, it was gone. Gone — but remembered as I wrote the poem below.  Post Script:  Once spring has truly arrived in Boston, I’ll change my Photo page to the amazing Bermuda coastline.

 

Parrot Fish

The water so clear he can see
the parrot fish glide in and
out among the rocks
and Sargasso sea grass.

Eyes shaded, he tastes the salt air
and looks out at the layers of blue
from navy to azure to sky melting
into sea. Slowly, he remembers.

Her eyes. Pools of iridescent aquamarine
with feathered lashes opening and closing, half shut.
The blue so deep he wanted to dive into the pool,
possess it, feel the coolness on his skin.

Gazing downward again, the bright crimson
parrot fish is gone. Escaped. Riding the waves
as foamed breakers leave ridges in the sand’s
edge. And once again, he is left behind.

Glisten

And so it begins today.
Rejuvenatement, not retirement.
Poetry, my voice from within, now has the time and the space.

I’ve always found the sounds and sights of the ocean mesmerizing.

My spouse of 45 years and I spend two weeks every year in Provincetown, MA, the very tip of Cape Cod. Many have found the magic of this place as their muse:  playwrights Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams; Pulitzer Prize winners Norman Mailer (author) and Mary Oliver (poet).

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Glisten

Our footprints disappeared
in the cool damp sand ridges,
walking farther and farther
into the wetness of low tide.

Heads bowed, we shaded our
eyes from the sun’s glare,
the glisten it created as the water
deepened in the distance.

We shared our solitude
quietly grateful
we chose the off-season
to rediscover our togetherness.