Two Poems by Mark Tulin | North of Oxford

— Read on northofoxford.wordpress.com/2021/03/13/two-poems-by-mark-tulin/

A Crude Protest

There’s a ripe,
downtrodden shell
under the bridge,
belongings in a haphazard pile,
shopping carts from Ralph’s,
tents with no support,
sour smells of clothing
in a groundswell
of a shelterless hell
.
A bushy-haired man
proud and noble,
straight and tall,
sends out a stream of pee,
a crude protest
in a world speeding by,
in a moonless sky,
a forgotten life
with no stars to count.

A Seabird Memory
.
The seabird followed me
along the shoreline
Not just any bird, but an old friend
He limped with an injured leg
He scoured the beach for food
as he trailed my footsteps
He was a childhood buddy
from the old neighborhood
who shared common memories
He sat and watched me
as the tide rolled out and in
His life was covered in feathers,
his skinny legs a shade of gray
He remembered me
when he walked on human legs
and covered in skin.