Sorrow Is a Sea

Sorrow is not a feeling but a sea
and like a swallow in an autumn sky it appears
When mother is gone. Where
has she gone, leaving an orphan behind?

Sorrow is not an abyss but earth
and in it your secret thoughts come to rest
In the woven basket of flowers
a sad cat and a woman are resting

Sorrow is a cellar hoarding dust
Debris
newspapers
A broken bicycle
firewood
On a crumpled sheet sorrow is a portrait
of your dead dog.