The Sea and the Forest
A woman appears on deck.
In her shy look the sailors
Inhale the perfume of swamp roots
And certain dark streets of Marseilles.
She stands still in a shadow.
Voices of children rising from the sea,
Air bells and flowers. . . .
Or maybe she is thinking of a house,
One of those little streets in Paris
Where lovers twitter like canaries.
Or maybe it's a forest.
The leaves are hushed and still.
All this, and more, the sailors
Think of while she stands,
One hand lightly resting on the rail.
Farewell, my old pine forest!
