xandra, this is what my murmur meant.

the sea will change you, she said.
all i could do was murmur my assent.

i have learned that some things are better read than heard.
for example,
winning is the wild, fierce joy of a raptor flying.

murmuring has no place here. so let us begin again.
the sea will change you, she said.
i offer a stone as a reply. one that is shiny, black, and smooth after years spent in the water.
yes, the sea will change you.
flesh is more pliant than stone, softer,
more susceptible to the dulcet songs of the ocean.
consider how quickly we allow the waves to dictate the movement our bodies.
we float and we are carried away.
consider how quickly we glow after imbibing in the sun. we are mutable.

but before we talk of the ocean, we must speak of the trip--

on the way
[27V06]

the sky closes her eyes
and clouds darken
behind her lids
tears will fall
and night will follow
___

there
[28V06]

sleep
face up, sheathed in warm liquid
and rock to a basso profundo
soundtrack

dream
underneath the
waves,
and see serpentine sunlight
chase each other on the sand

wake
to the pulsating pink
heart of the world
that reveals
itself at dawn