Today, of all days, is a strange day
to feel an inconsolable ache for the North Sea.
The super-hot red,
white, and blue
leave me nonplused.
White and blue
Green and gray
Swish and swirl
Salt and sand
Quiet and quiet.
The white cliffs of Dover
in December
didn’t exactly welcome me
home, but they held
a place for me
after an exhausting
exile.