Emily Vacations In Hull, Massachusetts

My futile attempt at re-creating Emily’s
“I Started Early Took My Dog”

This is Emily on the stone beaches of Hull,
each wave gnashes its tentacled tooth
against her delicate ankles.

Her dog stays on the wooden steps,
licks its nose and barks at the Atlantic,
its fur wet from the wind.

The Atlantic and her pack of wolves,
retreat, advance, retreat,
the rocks roll over on their side

while Emily walks back to her dog.
They climb the steps together,
these chunks of sky carved from Paul Revere.

The bay struggles from the sea
and the North Church long ago had lost its God.
A seashell path carries Emily’s sound in silence.

Her dog catches up to her,
having stopped to sniff
the distant past.