Drifts

By Danielle Vogel
Drift two—




 perfect curtains of algae

 almost as one         —

 and the phytoplankton rise

 oxygen levels   , a radiance

 in the Sound’s center trough

 up and out toward the shoals


 atmosphere   ,  estuary  - -


 confluent tides—

 this upwelling : of organisms , of winds and waters



 drifts of nourishing darkness , light , salt—

 hydrogen—and with this /

 exchange








Drift three—

 tidal resonance /

 in the sea floor

 above the sea floor

 now under the tide

 watershed and upswell


 of marsh and beach edge ,

 of tidal forests , mangrove

 swamps

 - - expansions

 to be of moraines

 and sills

 little necks - - cherry

 stones, of osprey

 porcupine and river otter

  whelks

 urchin ,

 to be of mudflat fox

 of periwinkle ,

 and the winter skate’s purse - -

 to work this good darkness

 into the shallows

 this vital brackish water


 resuscitation

 of every coastal stream







Drift four—











 to be dwellers with this land - -

 to be of source to sea










 
Notes:

This poem has special formatting. To view the intended formatting of this poem you can download it as a PDF here.

Source: Poetry (March 2024)