Jeffrey Yamaguchi
Horizon
A mile out in ocean waters
a dead whale
drifts with the current
tomorrow the tide will beach it
Nearby there is a line around the block
for overpriced soft serve ice cream cones
A little boy from out of town
hunting for perfect sand dollars
comes upon the ghastly wonder
and stares into its bloated wounds
In this spot many years ago
a man proposed to his girlfriend
on bended knee at sunset
Oblivious to the surroundings
an older couple strolls by
arguing over how much money
they shouldn't be spending on lunch
A plastic bag lofts into the air
bolting upright a young mother grabs her phone
and logs an urgent reminder to order balloons
for her daughter's upcoming birthday party
There will be other stretches of sand
engulfed by the constancy of crashing waves
his planted legs cast ever longer shadows
as the waters rush by and return
the familiar bends all of us
to see what we have seen before
He dives into the sun soaked blue
pulls himself deeper and further with each stroke
swimming as one with the shrouded expanse
a thrum of echoing silence
the murky glow of shadow in flux
everything held still just for him
except a stream of air bubbles
rising to the surface
A gathering rages under the swelter
melting ice disappears into the sand
along with countless discarded bottles
the only message of longing
a whistling rasp, gusty winds
ensnared in uncorked emptiness
For the rest of his life
every time he visits a beach
getting even a hint of the ocean air
no matter where he is in the world
he will think of the majestic whale
that washed up dead on the shore
Overhead a seagull glides by
and not a moment later
disappears into the blue horizon
a dead whale
drifts with the current
tomorrow the tide will beach it
Nearby there is a line around the block
for overpriced soft serve ice cream cones
A little boy from out of town
hunting for perfect sand dollars
comes upon the ghastly wonder
and stares into its bloated wounds
In this spot many years ago
a man proposed to his girlfriend
on bended knee at sunset
Oblivious to the surroundings
an older couple strolls by
arguing over how much money
they shouldn't be spending on lunch
A plastic bag lofts into the air
bolting upright a young mother grabs her phone
and logs an urgent reminder to order balloons
for her daughter's upcoming birthday party
There will be other stretches of sand
engulfed by the constancy of crashing waves
his planted legs cast ever longer shadows
as the waters rush by and return
the familiar bends all of us
to see what we have seen before
He dives into the sun soaked blue
pulls himself deeper and further with each stroke
swimming as one with the shrouded expanse
a thrum of echoing silence
the murky glow of shadow in flux
everything held still just for him
except a stream of air bubbles
rising to the surface
A gathering rages under the swelter
melting ice disappears into the sand
along with countless discarded bottles
the only message of longing
a whistling rasp, gusty winds
ensnared in uncorked emptiness
For the rest of his life
every time he visits a beach
getting even a hint of the ocean air
no matter where he is in the world
he will think of the majestic whale
that washed up dead on the shore
Overhead a seagull glides by
and not a moment later
disappears into the blue horizon
Biography
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Jeffrey Yamaguchi creates projects with words, photos, and video as art explorations, as well as through his work in the publishing industry. Recent publications include: Okay Donkey, X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine, Vamp Cat Magazine, Nightingale & Sparrow, Failed Haiku, Words for the Wild, Memoir Mixtapes, Moonchild Magazine, Daily Haiga, formercactus, Black Bough Poetry, and Mojave Heart Review. Jeffrey serves on the Poets & Writers Digital Committee, and he recently released the short film Body of Water.
Twitter: @jeffyamaguchi (https://twitter.com/jeffyamaguchi) Instagram: @jeffreyyamaguchi (https://www.instagram.com/jeffreyyamaguchi) Website: http://jeffreyyamaguchi.com Find his short film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ2Jg5p7IAA |
