in the emerald heat

harbour seal

Shore House, 1911, George Wesley Bellows

George Wesley Bellows (1882-1925) was a prolific and acclaimed American realist painter known for his depictions of city life, his social and political themes, portraits and seascapes, and for scenes from WWI. When he was criticized for painting what he had not witnessed himself, he replied he was not aware Leonardo Da Vinci possessed “a ticket to paint the Last Supper.”

harbour seal dream 

I was nudged by you, 
& I woke, then knew: 
just a moment before, 
at an old, cold house by the sea, 
all green shutters & doors, 
rock-perched on the waves, 
its haunt-filled air & solitude, 
our doubt—something more
you needed, something 
more new, more found, 
a land more newly found. 

And just a moment before,
a sinuous drive 
flush to the shore, 
& I was suddenly naked, 
swimming my form, flesh 
& bones, across the bay, 
the water desert-warm, 
& you ahead, engine hushed, 
winding your way. 

And a moment before,
she found me, the seal:
in the emerald heat, she
swam to me, faced me, 
& I her, until
a moment before, 
& before & before,
black-moon eyes & fur, 
she spiralled forward,
thumped my chest
(lightly, though, lightly), 
as if telling me, go, 
swim on, swim on, 
for in this world, I
will always have a place
to be, a home &
there, to find my rest. 

harbour seal, Fraser River, B.C. (photo - alan girling)