Awashington

Wavelets lap
the Capitol steps

marble cladding
pickled in brine.

Senators swash-
buckle in galoshes.

No way, they say, is
the sea-level rising,

ordering hip-waders
from Cabelas in case.

Hearings are held on
reported sightings of

Poseidon – a Greek.
Whose side is he on?

Wavelets lap the Cap-
itol steps, step by step.

Jon Swan is the author of three collections of poems. New and selected poems can be found on his website. Jon and his wife, Marianne, live in Yarmouth, Maine. Read other articles by Jon, or visit Jon's website.