what if this 9-5 life is the fairy tale?
what if I arrive home and my dog who loves me only
slightly less than the ball, shows no interest in my scent?
if there is someone else in my house and the slow,
pasty neighbor children who talk always at full volume
just hold their white cat mutely and watch me go out
into the marsh?
Can I be a selkie in reverse?
Shed my human skin
for something sleek and black
and beloved by the sea.
May each of us have so fortunate a passing.