071519

What Now?

Exposed sea bed rotting

with piscine carcasses,

bleached corals, cellophane

drapes of dried jellyfish;

our leavings: bones of the

crew of the Marie Celeste,

a million watches, bracelets,

coins, spectacles, and so on;

also trash the aliens left,

inscrutable stuff:

morphing springs, iridescent crawlers,

shreds of paper harder than steel,

bits of talking food

reduced to single syllables,

collected by beachcombers,

confiscated by security forces,

puzzled over by scientists,

while the rivers trickle into sand.