The Remotest Island in the World

To say nothing of myself
or the self-contained teen
in the other room, of our place
in vast, fragile space
dwarfed by our sun, dwarfed
by other suns—

but let me tell you of our life
with penguins and potatoes
our southern seasons lonely
off the grid, yet in the global trend
(internet at the café, supply boats
twice a year). We’ve embraced

a taste for our own vodka
for homespun wool. No avoiding
your neighbor at the seaside
or singing below the volcano
though indeed no one knows
how I detest eating lobster

 

I read this article about Tristan da Cunha, and my imagination ran away just a bit.

When Suitcases Fail

I had those years of baggage
packed all away, closed
my heart, turned off
the light, blindly chose
first flight to a desert island

Anticipating wave-song
canvases of stars
the only dissonance distant
in shriek of unseen birds

Now I can’t regret
those sunny dresses
cute hats cast wordless
and strewn over empty blue