Arah Ko

Beach

You start to notice if you look
at it too close: chips of bone,
pulverized glass, shards of teeth,
whale spine, microplastic nurdles
and grains like clear, dirty seeds.
Of course, the earth
is salted: nothing can grow
here. Evaporated sea flakes
off your shoulder. I catch
it, secret as your smile, the things
you didn’t tell me. You haven’t realized
yet: your naked skin is scorching
raw against this gorgeous graveyard.

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