The Sea

Swollen brine, salted ocean,
Deep unpardonable sea,
Whose secrets are, as mine,
Impenetrable but for the creatures
Of dark habits, sediment feeding
Crawlers, and the harsh pincer
Clawed critics, who seek out
The soft flesh from weaker
Bellies, such as yours and mine.

Grayson Ellis, 1973
‘Poetry’s For Cabbages’.
Reprinted with permission.