And the Window is a Sky–

And the window is a sky–
And the water is black, and the water is blue
And the pool palms drip, kiss the pink hibiscus, and the salt-sea air pushes by

There are two worlds, one asleep, one awake, both sigh
And the sun dazzles, crawls into view
And the window is a sky–

And the black-crowned night heron swallows its fish, and the seagulls cry
And the clouds roll out, pink-bay light breaks open, brand new
And the pool palms drip, kiss the pink hibiscus, and the salt-sea air pushes by

Last night I slept by the ocean, not knowing why,
No voice could reach me. I could’ve slipped right through–
And the window is a sky–

The gardenias in blue bowls by the pool wither, their ghost scent petals float by
The calm precise moment of loss leaves too,
And the pool palms drip, kiss the pink hibiscus, and the salt-sea air pushes by

And the water ripples, spreads its sea skirt, shuts its one salt-eye
And there are two worlds, one awake, one asleep, both sigh
And the window is a sky–
And the pool palms drip, kiss the pink hibiscus, and the salt-sea air pushes by

Elizabeth Mercurio earned an MFA in poetry from The Solstice Low-Residency Program of Pine Manor College. Her work has appeared in, Third Point Press, Philadelphia Stories, The Skinny Poetry Journal, The Literary Nest, Fledgling Rag, and the Lily Poetry Review. She was nominated for a Best of the Net nomination and was the 2016 recipient of The Sharon Olds Fellowship for Poetry. Her chapbook, Doll is currently available from Lily Poetry Review Books.