Lunch at Rye Harbor

at high tide

Image by Wry

There’s heat in the harbor,
soft breeze notwithstanding,
sweat still accumulates.
Waves sound on pebbles.

Martha reads People,
I scribble words down,
and Brad Pitt is happy.
All’s well with the world.

What do I want first?
Soft everything bagel,
or freezing salt water?
Sweet cream cheese awaits,

hot bite of sliced onion,
too hard to resist.
Thank gods for dentures!
My tastebuds rejoice.

Tide is withdrawing,
Bright sun is westering,
small girls are shrieking
just like irate seagulls.

Martha braves cold water,
sunlight limns her body,
Lady of the Harbor,
my lover for life.

I finally join her,
my whole body shrinking,
splash under to surface
exultantly numb.

~ Wry Welwood
31st of July 2022

Previously published in ShadowinLight.substack.com.