Art: Astrid Echle, @astridechle
ELEPHANT SEAL
I’m a barrel in the sea.
I roll in joy—tide in,
tide out, I land always
where I go. I lap and
clap my flippers up the day
and down to smooth the edges,
then slow back into cold, or
slip heat into the air I share.
Wind-whipped water taken deep,
released in fringe and lace,
bird slap rounding onto shore
or weaving baubles up on top,
we jolly up in pairs and roar—
I land always where I go.
Ripple-skinned, we make a float
and swim beyond the fill of fish.
Where you see bumble,
I say breathe. I can build
a song beneath you
and sing it all night long.
I land always where I go
and bump where I belong.
About the author:
Nancy Cherry‘s writing has been included in Comstock, Calyx, Raven Chronicles, Cream City, Nimrod, Spillway, the Seattle Review and the anthology, The Place That Inhabits Us. Her first collection, El Verano Burning, was published by Radiolarian Press in June 2014. She currently lives 57 miles west of Point Reyes Station.
Art: Astrid Echle, @astridechle
In the artist’s words:
Born in Leverkusen, I live and work in a beautiful wine area next to Rhine river in Germany. My great passion is painting using acrylic colors. I am traveling a lot around the world where I get my inspiration. My impressions I process into my works.
