{ THE TIME HAS COME }

darling keeps her tongue out of sight, nowhere near the beach. her tongue chasing a creature deep into her throat. a thimbleful of small stones won’t last long: she throws them at the window, hoping duchess will look out. over the waves, a bird drifts, the water turning inside out. darling’s hair rests like a coiled rope on the back of her neck. the brim of her straw hat pushed off her face, the sun hanging up the clouds. the sea lies still and sudden.

i am present at the scene. i take the fallen stones and arrange them side by side. the birds gossip in the trees and i cover my mouth in case of a surge. i am still seeing holes everywhere. i am not willing to go all the way down to the water. i watch darling and i wish that she could see. in the house above us, duchess secures the door by slipping a stick into the latch.

the house groaning and creaking.

darling stretches out on the beach, feeling nothing but the purling of the water past her body. the afternoon passes quietly, consumed by her slow and even breathes.