Santa Monica

waves
crashing over
coral reefs
skeletons appear
remnants
of yesterday's armada
a cannon
without powder
no longer talks
to the sky
crabs scurry
over seaweed
rusted sabers
point toward
an empty grave
memories
from another century
pirates and cutthroats
rule the sea
mermaids moan
and mourn the season
the sun
dances
with the harvest moon
lost souls
listen
for the siren song
come to us
they cry
love us
they lie
moonlight exposed
them
for what they were
bleached out
sea hags
mourning the loss
of the last
bottle
of peroxide

d.s. brueckner
2004