I am inland now
Far from the coast
The language of this city is brutal
Hard-edged
Engines and drills
Hammers and shrills
In the dead mans pose, I come to rest
My posture matches the towering office blocks and residential apartments
They arise in the near and mid-distance
And land in a splash across the broad sweep of my windows
A light smog rises up from the streets below
Traffic fumes and incinerators
Above me, rain clouds bear down through a yellow strain of light
I am the fumes and the light
I breathe in and out
I return to the coast
I follow my breath like the ocean waves
I am the lion purring
I am water in the simmering pan
Out of the brazen chaos of this salt city orchestra
My air-drawn dagger
My silence
Cushions an old peace into my bones
gK
