REMORSE

Rebuffed by a century  
of historical sea logs
and casualties of the past
where bones are uncovered
in a vast treasury
the morning waves over
passed our home harbor
but do not last
but are rebuffed
as they glide
on the silvery ocean
a bird watches the shore
at high tide
by remorseless gales
motioning East wind
in such bluffs
we do not sail
but mourn by gulls
webbed over the shore
as the fisher's bride
chooses her words
for the lost mermen
of the sea crossed over.