To Sea
       

I am a brilliant animal
but when the world unfurls
the black hallway

of its appetite, I shut myself
inside, inside
this self, a shock

of Russian Dolls shellacked and shelved
among the men who wear the winning suits.
Some hands

were so warm it took time
to feel them find my throat.
I have all these halves

to look after. They give people ideas.
My eyes, carved sharp and wide,
have had to multiply;

it's wild how much they see.
Dear Monsters, keep your Old Brain
games far from me.

I edge fire with heed.
Not for ash, nor smoke
but truth, a better way to breathe,

Inside me, something found has its beat.
I drive myselves to sea.
I drive myselves to sea.

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Copyright © 2014 Jocelyn Casey-Whiteman All rights reserved
from Jubilat
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission