is it the sea you hear in me

the days move quickly, like the current of the river
impatient to get to the mouth, that opens into the sea

there are so many things life is moving towards, and away from

the body closer, and further from any other

i’ve been wanting to commit myself
to some thing, some kind of permanence

but i have the habits of a transient
could put on my big blue scarf
and walk into a different wilderness

i imagine another life
where he is out in the garden
planting strawberry seeds
while i eye him from the window

i cried when i read birthday letters, on a big rock
near where the river ends, and the ocean begins

the water slamming itself up
against the mossy stone

spitting its fizz at me
 
 

you don’t have to look good

in the morning, you think
what can i pour my love into today

you pour it into a coffee cup
ready to be consumed again

as you let the first light
roll off your shoulders

you put the loss that you feel
into the tiny parcel of your heart

tie it up in a bow, so that
it may come loose again

it is okay not to be in love
the heart won’t fall out

it will stay open
like a wound

we only talk about love
when it is for someone
 
 
 
Stacey Teague is a poet from NZ, currently residing in Sydney, Australia. Her debut poetry collection, takahē, was published by Scrambler Books in 2014. She can be found online at staceyteague.tumblr.com.