We Sailed Our Swallow Poem by Paul Wilson

A great new spirit began to climb
Among the spa-attenders; for
The deafmute began to mime, like a flute
For the time
Of one short wave
To reach the beach,
For stones and men
To scream, to screech,
Suppliant before heaven.

They ask who are
This clawfingering subacqua species
Touching on
The opaque surface of IT,
Silently floating
In waterstruck stasis?
Fingers clutching
At the watery ephemeral
Reflection only the waterglide,

Pulling pulling o like seaweed
May they float away forever
In the bubbles!

****

So on the shore they built the boat
Sailed to sea for a day, for a week
But hardly noticed that they were afloat -
The sea being glassy, the air moon cool,
They followed the sun, they dreamed the moon,
They sailed their swallow to their lagoon
Until they reached the stones that speak!
The sea, the sun, the sandy lagoon
- and the spirits beginning to rise so soon?

There on the stones they burnt their ark
In sacrifice for what they seek,
Their hopes and dreams went up in the fire,
They watched the smoke curling over and higher,
Began to feel that god was a liar!
And then they found they could not speak,
And all they looked at each other in fear,
But left each by his and all alone,
Each one by one fell down in a swoon,
And only the stones were left to complain
As the sea and the land met the sky again.