The Seabirds

No foreign pair of dark sunglasses will ever shield you
From the light that pierces your eyelids
The screaming of the gulls
Feeding off the bodies of the fish
Thrashing up the bay till it was red
Turning the sky a cold, dark colour as they circled overhead

He swam out to the edge of the reef
There were cuts across his skin
Saltwater on his eyes and arms
But he could not feel the sting
There was no one left to hold him back
No one to call out his name
Dress him, feed him, drive him home
Say "Little boy, it doesn't have to end this way!"

He announced their trial separation
And spent the night in a Park Beach Motel bed
A total stranger lying next to him
Rain hitting the roof hard over his head
She said "What's the matter now, lover boy
Has the cat run off with your tongue?
Are you drinking to get maudlin
Or drinking to get numb?"

He called out to the seabirds
"Take me now, I'm no longer afraid to die"
But they pretended not to hear him
And just watched him with their hard and bright black eyes
They could pick the eye from any dying thing
That lay within their reach
But they would not touch the solitary figure
Lying tossed up on the beach

So, where were you?
Where were you?