Wandering Albatross

Outside the concern of human minds
where starry skies are the hum of consciousness;
where Time itself shuts an eye
in aquatic regions
beyond lighthouse and cove…

Where squids leap playfully across the moon
and harlequin ducks gather to gossip;
where sirens sing across valleys of wave
in enchanted realms
beyond foghorn and vessel…

Where kelp-haired fairies ride leatherbacks
and dead pirates haunt the bones of ships;
where the days are mine, and mine alone
in placid domains
between whale song and sun…

Where auroras serve their ancient purpose
and pelagic winds traverse the globe;
where I chose to be after my death at sea—
here, above the uncharted waters of Earth…
on gliding, spectral wings.


First published in JOURN-E: The Journal of Imaginative Literature in 2022.