Reef
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^{Ileuthyria, fair Dafne of sea-bords
The swimmer’s arms turned to branches
Ezra Pound, Canto II.}

          Awaken
fragile brilliant metropolis
                    ambered sea
          sungolden molten orb
          spill
downwards to this
                    teemingtubed and twilightgilded city.

What brief remembrances
          pass
                    through gills—in and out dazzling
          columns, these finned and many fingered
                    these sequined swimmers
that life should come of dance and extraordinary
                    the delicate and dangerous patrons sexual
          advances
                              toxic touch, deadly kisses.

Coral complexities
          Exoskeletal inventions
                    great treetowers and bridges worthy
of van der Rohe, Calatrava
          his lovely eye opening to light
               and birds of steel in flight beside the water.

Skirts of brittle beauty
          fan
the islands, bright pink quotations under trembling
                    turquoise where silver fish, parqueted tortoises,
          bring
their hunger dailyhoned, once fed they defervescent bathe
          in this city of tender and tragic balance
                    in this city of bones.

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