# 1 by Vinve P.
three seagulls
staring
perched upon
a searchlight
floating in
low tide.
three seagulls
watching
our cars
lined up
like cattle
locked inside
the ferry.
three seagulls
three wise men
or at least
three lazy prophets
waiting
for the sun
to pass
below
the water
and sleep down
on the floor.
“hello,
you there,”
i say,
slightly
embarrassed.
i don’t want
to offend
them,
but i
do need
their attention.
“pardon me,
wise ones,
fortune tellers,
yes,
you three
over there.
“i apologize
for interrupting,
but i was
wondering,
well,
i’m struggling
to know
why i still want
to hold her,
to kiss her,
slowly,
to trace
my tongue
around each
tattooed flower
blooming from
her spine?
“excuse me,
you three holies,
again,
i’m sorry,
but could you
tell me
how i believed
that resting
my head against
her breasts
was ever
just for fun,
just for distraction,
just fresh air
from my year
apart
from bodies?
“how
could
i?
“how
could
I
ever,
ever
believe
i could
just turn
away
from
so much
beauty,
so much
tenderness
so much
kindness,
so much
light
behind
those eyes?
“i know
it’s only
been
5 days
since i
last
saw
her,
but i was
hoping
this feeling
would have left
like smoke
or fog
so i could see
where to go
from here,
what i should do,
so
i
could
focus
again,
or
at least
pretend
that I am
focused.
“so,
you three,
you sages,
I would be
much more
than
grateful,
i’d even
buy you
each
a loaf
of bread
and feed
you
if you
would just
read your
crystal balls
and tell me
why she
stays stuck
in my heart
even though
i’ve asked
quite nicely
that she
go,
that she
leave,
fly away
to greece
to burma,
far away,
and take
her memory
and stuff
it deep inside
her luggage
and use it
only as a
bookmark
to measure
out the pages
of her
new life.
i see
you give
no answers,
no nods,
not even
waves
or
winks
from your
white wings.
i see
you three
are only
staring,
watching,
waiting,
for your
next chance
to fly.
“good luck,
then.
no hard
feelings.
thanks
anyways,
for
listening.
“i’ll just
be here
wishing
i hadn’t
said
goodbye.”
