lines we / knew balance
was more than something we
put in we legs / once ashore /
but we took it anyway /
lines we named we eyes
after gods / and deities and
saints / and anything else
that could conjure a body of
water / from its head /
when we carried the ocean over and over itself we /
thought more of the places we
left / than the places we would
become / we pulled rotten teeth
from we / heads and we did so
without medicine / and we did so
anyway /
when we carried the ocean to we sod and slatted residences / we
places rowed in singular flora
/ we death huts / we sold into
shacks / we blistered dreams
we / split-back houses / we silver
and china confinements /
we hot blank speech /
we carried the ocean in we throats /
we worked we wormed
on the roots / on the bodies
of fruit we never tasted /
we carried it anyway /
we tree strung /
we /
we /
we /
wave-battered eyes /
we brand new / we flesh fresh
off the hull /
when we set to swell and soften the rice /
it takes gallons more
than / the past ratio /
we carried the ocean in we / mouths
for the longest /
and some of we /
well I did as well /
swallow yesterday
water / and we did
not retch / but we
have felt / a churn
since / tasting the
wife of a man hung /
how his feet nodded
a route to hell / the salt
a fruit we never tasted
