After Neruda
As I stare from a distance,
I remember the chart of your body.
I am a shell of loss,
and I listen for the call of the gulls.
I trace your outline, your generous mouth,
the wave of your wanting.
In that moment, you are the light hesitating.
I plunge into your story. And so it begins.
We are the tides swelling.
Longing is an ancient mariner.
And I know that the place
between your breaths is enough.
Since I have you, everything is water.
So let go my love, the world will wait.
Joe Barca is a poet from New England. He has published four short poetry collections, and his work has been included in a number of publications and anthologies. He is a husband, a father, and the owner of a Wheaten Terrier. Joe is a fast talker and a slow runner.
