Once
Each
Word
Was new,
Had not existed,
Never been spoken,

So, say
‘Seaweed’,
For the first time,
‘Seaweed’,
Weed of the sea,

Smell the word,
Flavour it,
Salt-fresh
Or foul decay,

Savour the words -
Green-Hair,
Oarweed,
Hen-Pen,
Rosy-Pink-Plates,
Dew-Drops,
Oyster-Thief,
Kelp,

Coiling
The threads
Of Mermaid-String,
Knot them Into your brain,

And watch
Light waves roll
With the tide,
Sun-lit red,
Gold and lettuce green,
Fronds and fans,
Ribs and hands,
Seaweed.

It’s a strange story,
a word, a sentence, paragraph,
a poem:

Seaweed.