Sometimes, my wife thinks
she is still a saber tooth.
I call to her to come back
and we rock slow,
to and fro, in the sea
of here and not here.
She turns to quiet me,
to make me believe,
and I lie that I do
in our unquiet sea.
Shifting away again,
she abandons me in soul,
in body, in mind.
I await her return,
drowning, sour, impatient.
She does not surrender,
rejoins me at will,
stirs the tea,
tends the bread.
We are old now, hard
swimming past the line,
keeping the sail trimmed.
I wonder, is this what it is,
have I always been wrong,
hiking out so bold?
—————-
Helped out by this wonderful poem from the 8th century Japanese collection known as the Man’yoshu, posted by Leonard Durso. Thanks, Leonard!
5 responses to “In the sea”
Wow, especially the beginning. And the ending. 🙂
This made me think of THE BURIED GIANT by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Ooo. Thanks for the suggestion (sometimes my semi-literacy is sadly obvious). So glad you liked this poem.
reading this interesting piece reminds me of how human nature has changed very little over the centuries. this marriage is full of struggle and love.
Yes. I used to think you could not know a marriage from the outside. Now, after 25 years, I can say that you cannot know one from the inside either. 🙂 Thanks for your good thoughts and supportive words.
a witty observation! the fact that both husband and wife keep returning tells me that they need each other. how many marriages, i wonder, stay together because of that one thread?