The Polish Triptych

For Martin Kelbl

I. Past the Neptune Fountain, Gdańsk

We drag our feet in concordwalking across the bridgeover the Motława,like two ships trying to sailhaving forgotten toweigh their anchors to behoisted up.

We trail silt in our wakethat mirrors the mistlapping at the Crane:It is early morning,the city will forgive us.

Before we breathe saltwe must pass the hullstowering on landand scratch our skinson the rust and the anglesof the past;a spot of Solidarity ,

There to show somethingwe have missed –but how many beginningshad we missed beforeand still lived on?Here is but our own:Filling crevices withwhiteness, burning skins,stretching up to fix the starsand bite into the moon,reaching, holding hands.Beginning again.

II. The Sopot Pier

The train breaks and screechesand we climb down onto theland-d-d land landbefore we seethe sea,always out of season,spitting fossilsand amber.

I spot you insidethe yellow on my palm,your youth caughtin the resin of my old barkwhen I was a spruce,propelled into the futurewhere I collect you again,unchanged but crystallised,and put you in my mouth,begin to kiss and suck youout of your splendidtransparent grave,for us to walk on thepier again,and talk betweenthe cries of gulls and wind slaps;

Then blue-ue-ue blue bluethe seastretching endlessfractals in your eyes.

III. Arriving in Gdynia

I washed my feet in the Balticthree times:

The first was for the sea;

The second to hold your handas you shivered in;

The third was for me,to release the tidal urgeand embrace the patience ofmany broken things arrivingon the same shore

Where Neptune combshis beard on our toesand the siren call of othertomorrowsneeds no wax to resist;

We are home.Those are only relics ofancient coastal lore.We travel for pleasure,and metaphorically.You weave yourself closeras I spear the crests of thewaves with my looks;

Far off in the distanceslow ships pass,mammoths in the steppe.But here, before usthe sea unloads gifts,they thud and fan outandwe leap,caught unreadiedinto life, unreadied,unspared.