Sea pounding pale green foam…

The house was near the cliffs. It was really a shack in an English fashion.

Mother got out of the ancient taxi and stared straight a head.

Buddy, his burly body strecthing, yawned, “So, this is it?”

I felt like crying, there weren’t even any sheep.

Father rubbed his hands together. “Sheep arrive in two weeks, lots to do.”

He slapped mother on her frail back.

“How will all my furniture fit?” she whimpered.

“I sold it all.” Father laughed. “And a good thing too!”

Mother’s face curled into thin, fine wrinkles.

“It’s all furnished with antiques that suit the place. Needs dusting.”

“Needs dusting,” mother repeated. “Needs dusting.”

“You brought us here to kill us.”

“Nonsense,” father laughed. “Work never hurt a soul…too dogmatic, re-track.”

“My God, what will we do here?”

“Raise sheep, and i will write sonnets and you will learn to live.”"

“The children!”

“AH, well Buddy will be off at sea and sissy there will type my manuscripts.”

Mother glared. “You filthy old bastard, the ring master till the end.”

“Yes, and much better than some titles, my dear.”

They were struggling with years of repressed emotion and need. Years of pregnant silences.

I thought of New York and how its noise, its movement, its time could blot out pain and make you numb.

 I kept seeing how mother’s head wobbled when she talked to father. I walked towards the cliffs. Sea heather grew near here. Some called it lavender. I could hear the sea pounding with the beats of my heart. The grass was wet from sea mist. My brother would be gone when I returned. Gone to the fishing boats, I knew him, Teddy grazed my leg. i patted her damp head. I heard them. They were calling for me. i wanted to escape their dance of death. I walked right to the cliffs edge. Below were black jagged rocks. White foam bubbled over them like a song. I wanted to fly.

The ancient rocks thrilled me with their danger. Teddy barked and barked. I longed to breakloose. Fly over the rocks and out to sea. It was then I knew i would become a poet.