iii.

The sea does not need me
to say nice things about it.
Love rubs bleak in a gale.
Sap leaks, wind seals, word fails,
wood heals white and shiny.

Poem and reading by Rachel McAlpine CC BY 2.0, photo of New Plymouth Harbour in Cyclone Bola 1988 from Archives NZ, CC BY 2.0.