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Somewhere in the Shadows

How old do you suppose she is
twenty-five?
The special on Thursdays is oysters
flown in last night.
The last time it was Wednesday
they were spraying down the ashes.
Afterwards the seagulls came in.
Then came the crows,
followed by the vultures.
It used to rain in these here parts
but that was when the children were unafraid
walking along the shoreline unattended.
The ocean is a desert.
The desert is an ocean.
Sometimes there are two moons in the sky;
that only means you’ve been dreaming again.
If you could take only one thing what would it be?
The seashell?
Or maybe a bird’s song?
But what of the shadow
or the shadow of a shadow of a shadow
what will become of them?
Surely if anything they will live on.


july two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved