White wasted bits
from a hurried breakfast
on dried pools warp
blue-lined horizons
rock salt brushed off
onto melancholic notes
'til now, as I let each
bite my tongue as tears
consumed from the tempest
of your distressed conceit
I will survive
tie myself to the mast
with unbreakable black lines
these words
four days ago
within sight of the denouement
of white cap waves exploding
on the rocky shores
of the North Pacific Coast
a girl was born
I will tack north
'til I hold her newness
in the current of my longing
her brother and cousin
lift them to the discovered
winds of my truth
inland from the North Atlantic
close to the rushing sound
of the Rhine, another girl
dreams of blue dolphins
writes letters to the president
as her little sister
swims circles around her
I will greet them
with flowers and a song
sail a kiss to each cheek
after the storm
—Tony Cardoso
July 2008
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