and asks, Where are you going?
He’s the new owner.
His beach is a nice place to pee –
squat and look out
at the small island, the mountains
across the strait.
He appears
to want to start things off on the right foot,
but she knows where his property lines lie
and how frequently
she transgresses them.
Still, when he asks she says tea
and sits on his couch, meets his wife and his daughter,
who’s been swimming in the ocean.
It’s very cold. The girl must be a seal.
They are all more dangerous than she imagined.
The next day
he’s between her and her kitchen.
They circle each other, hackles up,
and she breaks for the house – but he’s on the step.
She bashes him in the face,
bag splitting, green beans spilling over his shoulders.
He’s a coon come to the porch
to stand on hind legs, paw the glass
when she slams the door.
So it’s time
to take that plunge,
disappear –
go without thought.