Parachuting <br />down through clouds <br />shaped like whales & sharks, <br />dolphins & penguins, <br />pelicans & gulls, <br />we reach <br />the purple hills <br />of a green-hearted island <br />ringed <br />with volcanic rock <br />bathed <br />by cobalt waters <br />reefed <br />by whitest coral <br />tenanted <br />by sea urchins & sponge <br />& visited <br />by barracuda <br />& tourists. <br /> <br />The dictator <br />of this island <br />is the sun. <br />The Secret Police <br />is the sweet <br />fragrance of cane. <br />Frangipani grows <br />in the uplands; <br />the salt flats <br />reek <br />by the sea. <br /> <br />I want to buy it, <br />to hide here, <br />to stay, <br />to teach all the people <br />to write, <br />to orchestrate the stars <br />in the palm trees <br />& teach the jellyfish <br />not to bite. <br /> <br />Oh dark volcanic <br />wine! <br />Oh collapsed parachute <br />filled with kisses! <br />Oh blue-bottle bits <br />ground <br />into jewels <br />by the sand! <br /> <br />Whoever loves islands <br />must love the sea, <br />& the sea <br />loves no one <br />but herself.<br /><br />Erica Jong<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/unrequited-27/
