19 October 2017

The Cry

Waiting, will you come, I am

Listening in the shore winds,

In the clicking of palm fronds,

Soft-sibilant through the mangroves,

Wild-tossed waves on the bay.

Silent feet on wet sand…?

An empty impression, never yours,

A small ocean roar around my head,

The song I once played for you

On the inside of my ear.

Then heart sighs,

Contains its breath,

Gives way to gull’s cry

On storm-winds, out there,

Gives way to sea.

And in my hand forever me

I clutch an empty shell,

Pressed anew against my ear,

With nought but the echo,

The lingering sound of the sea.

Anne-Marie Hicks © 2017, all rights reserved.