amorgos


1.
the dust on the stones in the dust

the sea's mouth soft sucking
the many-tongued brown island

light thrust and sharpened
on whitewalls blueshutters

fragrance of herbs bursting
from twisted thirsting bushes

slow heat and silence
on the breezeless peak of the day


2.
of the brothers: one is building his boat
the younger is shouting down his telephone

the boat will come at midnight
the boat will sail next year

these are islands of sound as the sea and dark
close in: the ducks among the pebbles are another.

there is nowhere on this island you can hide from the sea:
the mind is always drifting out, the land is afloat.

lights in the houses are as sudden, scattered as fishing boats:
even the shepherds dream of ships.