Steinbeck’s restless ghost whispers to me
as I tiptoe along a stone seawall.
He steers me away from the bay
back to the old sandstone churches
built by native hands,

back to music festivals and artisan fairs
full of mild, white cheeses
and would-be novelists arguing
about Henry Miller’s tropics.

But I’ve grown tired of his whispering
and no longer wish to dream of these things.
I would rather descend into a watery haven.
I will wave goodbye to John
and I will run down sandy paths
that lead to the sea.

I wade into the depths and sink
into a canyon where kelp shivers
in underwater breezes,
and the only stars I see will be
suction-cupped to the rocks below.

I am a Jar of Jelly, crying for help.
A restaurant in trouble, bad reviews on Yelp.
Garbage service and food, soggy bread and kelp.
I am abandoned on the shelf, like a cold little whelp.

I have fallen
I won't be there
to break the waves,
to dust the dirt
with bare skin
off your face.

You either
wither and die
or dance with
the coral.

Catch the sun
with your eyes
break the surface
while your body
sings.

Swim with
the kelp beds
or tangle beneath
the hooks &
the strings.