What The Tide Brings In

A wounded star. Crabs in battledress.

Salt chorus of a thousand shells. Slumped

Blancmange of jellyfish on ochre beach.

A slatted crate that once held oranges. A ball

Kicked brightly out of reach. Whale Songs.

Kitchen suds. Bladderwrack laid out

in Sunday duds. A ribboned hat,

sunny gust from First Class Deck.

An unnamed bundle in a fertiliser sack.

– John O’Donnell