KILMENY MACMICHAEL

‘Verb

It was the reason she washed the windows
in the middle of the day
during a white out
although it was entirely unnecessary
particularly given how often she’d engaged in it before
and also cold

Taking the panes in their frames down
leaving them in order
washing them hurriedly
dry fiber ready
it was the final touches that counted

The squeak and rub resonating
not long
the ocean too far away now
now that the flights had stopped
now that the trains no longer ran
now that the cars and trucks and motorcycles were silent

But with a little vinegar and water
kneeling in front of the glass
she could raise against never-ending squall
beyond and past rock rock and wood
the memory of the benthic

Pulling rumble of the ocean beneath her fingers
she could 
swim for a moment, in the sea.