In florid keys
to the south
swaying corals
once fluorescent
have changed
their song as if
baton to stand
has called for
in gray unison
the first slow
measured exhale
of the Sanctus.
Unable to graze
the new wild
parrot fish, sea
turtles, urchins
stars all hear
the ocean’s grave
new hymn—
O motherless child.
This poem first appeared in Solitary Plover (2024).
—
Kelly Houle’s poetry has been published in CALYX, Crab Orchard Review, Kenyon Review, Radar Poetry, Sequestrum, and other publications. She has recently been named a finalist for the Fischer Prize, the Arts and Letters “Unclassifiable” contest, and the Montreal International Poetry Prize.
