Poseidon's Litter

The ocean’s purpose rolls

Thousands upon thousands

Languages dead

Fossilized

Worn as anniversaries

And mementos of firsts and finals

By summer sunners who bare their souls

Baptizing in the restorative salt waters

Silently releasing pangs and pains

Morning glories and evening ease

Into crashing waves

That bathe their feet and lick their thighs

As only a true lover can

Ever aware of boundaries

And disregarding their place

Summer drifters tuck their secrets in shallows

Poking holes with their toes

That erase with one swell

To be honestly absorbed and completely forgotten

Beneath the hungry, hypocritical laughter of gulls

Years of moody ebbs and flows

Rife with grateful returns, poignant farewells

Allow summer witnesses

Lighthouse perspectives  

Of stormy seas

Frothing with anger

Vengeful and obliterating

And placid plains

Welcoming the contemplative float

Making man believe he has faith enough

To step out and walk upon water

Earthly time influences no sea

Willful and covetous

With each seasoned secret

Trusted in her care

That breaks the shore from the drowning descent

As opulent baubles

Deposited amongst the mosaic fragments                  

Pearlescent shells, glossy stones

Hazy glass, perforated bones

A winding trail of Poseidon's litter

Reborn as treasures  

Combed by summer’s habitual pirates

Seeking answers, deserving proof

Of a fated existence

That won’t be forgotten

Once returned

To immortal deep

E.A. O'Connell