Tonight's Poet Corner: Monterey

Monterey
by Belinda Roddie

The wharf is filled with yammering
tonight, from tourists and restless sea
lions alike. They are covered in lights.

The radicchio on my tongue is harsh,
but the bourbon in my baked apple
cocktail is smooth. Instead of a punch,
it's a caress on my tongue.

We are close to the sea, so close that
I can smell it. I can taste it and feel it
absorbed in my skin. I could swim
in it, dive in with all my clothes on,

but the water is cold, and the clouds
are still heavy, and my stomach is
filled to the brim with delights, and your
lips are so warm, so very warm, on my
distended and unyielding flesh.