This poem was commended in the first 'Poems Please Me' poetry competition
Anima
On the beach, with the evening sun behind
me, I splay my legs and
outstretch my arms in a pose of childlike
joy and I’m a boy again.
My shadow spills its fuzzy-edged
exaggeration on the wet sand and
she traces her finger around my blurred
outline, mapping my boundaries.
Perimeter-drawn in the soft silt, we
examine the daub and laugh at
the monstrous claws she’s given me instead
of hands – lobsterman.
We gather stones – chalk and flint for his
bones and meat – And seaweed –
a mess of kelp for his hair. Resplendent in
this mineral and vegetable garb
we declare him complete and stare out to
sea. Before we leave – a final act
I stand one rock on end, erect. The tide
turns. Potent and proud, we watch
the waves rise. The salty waters swirl
around his insides and slowly drag
him back into their dark depths, alive.
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