Sea-goat

the seagull’s neck hangs limp,

swallowed by green lake.

I wait there,

paper bird folded up

tight.

buoyant moons echo

on the wake.

centripetal balances

centrifugal.

fixed in gravity,

I count your teeth

marks on my skin,

capricornus oval

constellations.

return, sea-goat

I swallow your pit.

*****

rib of icterus

Space   between   bone

and     bone     pull

taught           bind

bulbous vertebrae

breed

winged scapula

broken

icterus     screaming

yellow

bubbling black

pavement

burns

*****

Sea-cow
 

One night in bed watching TV, a female praying mantis decapitates the head of its mate while copulating. They call her a wicked seductress and a cannibalistic lover, like a Siren from the deep, pressurized warmth of the sea. Bright green oozes from the nub where his head once was; he squirms, still trying to loosen her grip. She holds tighter with long limbs. You wonder if this is always the case. You read once that Sirens are sisters to Manatees and Dugongs. You feel more like the friendly sea cow; your loneliness echoes long, sharp and hollow as you lay and wait.