Still life

by T.P. Wilkinson / May 26th, 2019


without a doubt
there are moments
there is silence
below the waves
without a shout
the fallen fearful
finds no one
her to save
In solar energy
the seas’ removal
does it soak
the drowning surf
when basins earthly
empty sand
when crabs and lobsters
as pedestrians stand
who will say were
the skeletons resting
on the seabed,
now the beach
not just were mean
but also repulsive
now that crustaceans
are in easy reach.

T.P. Wilkinson, Dr. rer. pol. writes, teaches History and English, directs theatre and coaches cricket between the cradles of Heine and Saramago. He is author of Unbecoming American: A War Memoir and also Church Clothes, Land, Mission and the End of Apartheid in South Africa. Read other articles by T.P..

This article was posted on Sunday, May 26th, 2019 at 8:03am and is filed under Poetry.