What it's About
by William Doreski
A brackish flavor at dawn
suggests that the rising seas
have already risen in me.
We’re mostly composed of water,
so, affinity with the ocean
comes as naturally as quills
to a trundling old porcupine.
You question my crude analogy,
but the porcupine browsing below
the kitchen window is pleased
to haul the quivers of arrows
he has never actually needed.
Likewise, I tote around a world
of slow evolution, tidepools
fuming as the climate changes,
the Gulf Stream dragging hurricanes
through long nights tossing with dread.
That’s what it’s about: burdens
and the means of hefting them
so, the porcupine and you and I
can tender the world’s fine texture
to sufficiently nourish us.
suggests that the rising seas
have already risen in me.
We’re mostly composed of water,
so, affinity with the ocean
comes as naturally as quills
to a trundling old porcupine.
You question my crude analogy,
but the porcupine browsing below
the kitchen window is pleased
to haul the quivers of arrows
he has never actually needed.
Likewise, I tote around a world
of slow evolution, tidepools
fuming as the climate changes,
the Gulf Stream dragging hurricanes
through long nights tossing with dread.
That’s what it’s about: burdens
and the means of hefting them
so, the porcupine and you and I
can tender the world’s fine texture
to sufficiently nourish us.
William Doreski lives in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He has taught at several colleges and universities. His most recent book of poetry is Cloud Mountain (2024). His essays, poetry, fiction, and reviews have appeared in many journals.