Midnight Bell

a stranger's words bring back the scent of her
coconut and sex and burnt love
a stranger's voice touches me with her skin
comfortable and soft and arctic in it's absence
a stranger's midnight call slaps my face
his part in her escape from winter's winds stings red
a stranger stirs that tiny ember
long buried in my sand

stranger, she had you lift her anchor
the chain rusted at he surface, shining beneath the brine
stranger, you left me to drift into the whirlpool
never shining your light to find the truth
stranger, you stirred that tiny ember
i buried in my sand

you drift now
no anchor to hold you
you cry for something
that i cannot hear
you call to me in the night, looking for that ember
buried deep in my sand

i swim to the shore
dodging icebergs sharks and oil
i use the last of my voice to breathe on that ember
no longer buried in my sand
as the tide snuffs it, carries it away