To live within dangerous reach
of the sea
set down
the life I know
let go my grip
and press my cheek
to the sand—
sea wind
and wave crash
reach me less
here where the sound
flies high overhead—
a shallow calligraphy
sky writ,
a pair
of pelicans.

Volumes of air and light
in this house we built
for art.
Only after she sinks
exhausted to the floor
says the guard
can we carry her out.