The Innisfree Poetry Journal

www.innisfreepoetry.org

by Helen Losse

APART & TOGETHER

A man fished in the sea, while a woman built a fire

to cook the fish the man would catch from the barnacled pier.

Together they picked blackberries, stashed their bucket in sea oats

by the edge of the road, chased a hound dog down the beach.

That afternoon, they rested.

The man plucked an old guitar, hummed, played harmonica,

while the woman danced in the sand, gathered shells.  After dark,

she retrieved the berries for tomorrow's lunch, carried them up

under the pier, where it's cool.  They argued about sex before

going to sleep, having none.