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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​

Biography

Picture
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

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ISSN 2639-426X
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  • Home
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    • Issue 49
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    • Issue 44
    • Issue 43
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    • Issue 40
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    • Issue 34
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    • Issue 31
    • Issue 30
    • Issue 29
    • Issue 28
    • Issue 27
    • Issue 26
    • Issue 25
    • Issue 24
    • Issue 23
    • Issue 22
    • Issue 21
    • Issue 20
    • Issue 19
    • Issue 18
    • Serenity
    • Issue 17
    • The Audio Room
    • Issue 16
    • Issue 15
    • Issue 14
    • Play It Again
    • Issue 13
    • Issue 12
    • Issue 11
    • Issue 10
    • Issue 9
    • Issue 8
    • Issue 7
    • Issue 6
    • Hand to Mouth
    • Issue 5
    • Issue 4
    • Issue 3
    • Issue 2
    • Issue 1
  • Submissions