July 4th

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.