talisman
Timotheous Roussos

on a hot afternoon
Rehoboth Beach is
      Closed to Swimmers
sewage dumped off the coast
drifts close to land
bodies strewn on sweltering sand
broil in the sun
      next to an ocean
they cannot enter

Fantastic Sea!
perfectly
     beautiful,
     immense,
     invigorating
        -  so blue ...

i stand sceptically
        at the edges
until i see
the first tiny fleck of
shit
floating into shore
like jellyfish in a transparent wave


This was written as part of a longer series in memory of Ricky Lee Flippen.