in the very west

there is something about
how high tide brought full circle and a stray
egret went and claimed he was afraid
right short they are on rock pools
even

intertidally because those trees before were hardly
sea palms whether kelp is fun to say as nap

so I have been told to go down weary in the kelp or suggest
or something if togetherness and tenderness
more than tethered-ness matter in
elevations as tight as the wave it is braced
toward then that is as well as I can put things when
home is provided            for home is still an island far from
inhabitants like seals and starfish            for I reckon
narwhals are as close to permissibly equine as
green rocks and a white belly might be      in other words

a refusal to say wave     stallion     or the rest
because armour twice upon each
organism has withstood or grey together
underwent               very harsh tides quite
tired of pressure loss of water loss

barnacles     though     steel themselves     better than
anemones     for if barnacles if ever
rarely fight     then they cannot
not nearly
advise on issues such as
colony     water coverage     or territory     for if
long-time wed     to good rock or good seal
each barnacle        contentedly is
subjected to necrosis of alone a final sort

 

Andrew Wells is the founding editor of HVTN and on the editorial team at The Interpreter’s House. He is based jointly between Norwich (studying on the English Literature and Creative Writing BA at the University of East Anglia), and London. He has reviewed for Glasgow Review of Books and his essay ‘Waiting for Goals’ is forthcoming with Fanzine. His poetry has appeared in 3:AM Magazine, Lighthouse, Bare Fiction, and Sharkpack 2014-2017​, among others. His first pamphlet was J/W/U  (PYRAMID Editions, 2016). He has read for the Enemies Project, as part of the ‘North by North West Poetry Tour’, and Drawing Breath​.