Annotations

Like an heiress, drawn to the light of her

eye-catching jewels, Atlantic draws me

to the mirror of my oceanic small-days.

Butthe beach is deserted except for a lone

wave of rubbish against the seawall -

used car tyres, plastic bottles, styrofoam cups

rightly tossed back by an ocean’s moodswings.

Undisturbed, not even by a sea bird,

I stand under the sun’s burning treasury

gazing out at the far-out gleam of Atlantic

before heading back like a tourist

to the sanctuary of my hotel room

to dwell in the air-conditioned coolness

on the quickening years and fate of our planet.