sipping Earl Grey
through Flora Danica porcelain

she tastes traces
of his mouth
singing echos of Nirvana
at speed

she plays a fingerprinted disc
again
walking
loose-linked hands
cutting steps
in the sand
she
closes her eyes
kissing
like a ravenous hyena
or a sucker fish
running her tongue around her lips
licking for flashback

laughing too loud
loving too high
alive> < evil a
beach-bleached
white paradise

she tugs a necklace memento
the cowrie shell grins
hanging solo

sleeping
sugar-spooned
calm breath
arm-wrapping
dream-napper

she stays awake

sinking
through pot-holes
shark shoals
foiled
wrapped and crushed
weeping scars
bleeding
raw words
hushed

she could not save him