Just as the people could turn their heads in unison
and form a bold new republic,
the waters of the ocean could shift
and reveal the shale and rushes
of a new continent,
a glistening child world,
knitted together
from corals and ancient whale song
And now knowing that,
you gaze entranced at the water's surface,
wondering what seashell charm
could compel it
Knowing it is possible because it can be seen
in the privacy of the mind's garden
and so also knowing:
the way exists
Shimmering footprints of moonlight hint at
the great choreography that would enthrall
the ocean's heart,
so that it willingly surrendered:
brooding soil,
swallowed islands,
lost coins,
monstrous skeletons,
surf,
mermaid-bearing delirium,
scatterings of stolen light,
fallen mountains,
and all the other treasures
to which your hand is connect
when you but place it beneath the surface
of the gurgling, swaying,
salt-crazed waters
And so you stand at the railing,
your eye stroking the soft blue-grey fabrics
and gently coaxing
the birth of a new world
