The Waves

Death comes in waves.
Some can swim and take a breath

On the slack of the billow,
Else drown in icy confusion.

Black waves, ice-studded,
A black and white shredder,

Grater, spinning breakers:
Tense the muscles of the skull,

Plunge through, swim strongly
Fight the twist of the wave

Get back to the air,
Stare hard for the next wave.

The seventh wave of the seventh wave
Has your name written on it in broken teeth,

Shards from the iceberg
That wrecked the Titanic,

Shards from the iceshelf
That swamped the world,

Shards from the mirror
That your reflection burst,

Shards from the icecubes
In your last gin and tonic

Crunched hard by filled teeth,
Paining-out a cold question.

A rolling oilslick - brave flotsam
Of expanded polystyrene riding high

Mindless in its buoyancy
A black sweep of rage strewn

With memories of white paper
Shark's mouth glimpsed open

Beneath a full moon
A coalslip graced with virgin snow

A zebra, killer whale, fresh newsprint
Dalmations, escorting death's carriage.

The banal stars blazing on a dark night
Lifeless lamps silvering our future wake.