for Lynn Watson
No other sight but the sea I want the taste of understanding, and that’s all. Give me three kisses: one for the ocean that unmans me, one for the sand that gets everywhere but deserves nothing, and one for the sun that burns, or let them be free. I want no other love but the sea No other touch but the breeze. Show me three signs: a laugh that stands for the strength of the earth, a word that doesn’t mean the same as any other, and any fleeting vision of eternity, or see that they are mine. I want no other sound but the surf No other smell but the brine. Know there are three symbols: the token stone of the mystery that is revealed only in the soul, and this, which is two. What is the price that we offer, what other sound but the sense, what other sense but the sea. I want the breath of communion, and that’s everything.
5 June 1973