Salt Water. Poem by Mary X

first and most foremost;
sorry.
a rock with a strong pair of legs,
struggling to uphold its own
overridden weight is what
I am saying sorry to.
I am saying sorry to you.

different colours flag out
onto their masts every minute.
there is no controlling,
there is no control.
and I owe a thousand sterling and
lives to you.

sorry and thank you. at the dining
table we are strained but know that
inside I’m not. outside I’m not.
the window-looter’s influence.
and here’s my last note – once again,
thank you. thank you.

every time my face has been caught
in fire – you have extinguished it.
you have been the water and the
glue. salt water!
salt water! you say cleanses.
well, you are my salt water,
and with you I will cleanse my wounds
until there is no scab, no bleeding,
no cut.
with you I will cleanse my wounds.
with you I will cleanse my wounds.

Mary X.