Certain Words


in certain words I hear the sea/the waves in full iambic poetry
against basalt outcropped like noses sniffing sentence wind
riffing/riffing detritus from the history of sea

and I perceive in the muted movement poetry of hands reaching
across tables/the air in treacherous rooms/sunlight confused
by windows/I see the plots novels love so well in evolving

moments/infant/child/a maple tree beside the drying river
in August/farewell encased in concrete/asphalt as a
forgive me card/road sign stamp on forgetfulness

and I imagine the way we’ve lived our lives together to a fault
the way a casual acquaintance would imagine us after
reading our names in the newspaper under accident victims/

lost in a fire/divorced/proud grandparents/lottery winners/
opening a business/losing a loved one/writing a novel/
in a tsunami swept out to sea/clinging together/praying

in the language of relationships/only choosing certain words