The Doors of the Sea

There was a ship went into the sea over the body of my brother I am just a boy he was not much older than me the goddess is good and cruel wants her share of life, like us sparkling dust of birds far away whom we follow, the stars the blood red dust of life as my brother’s face disappeared beneath us beneath the ship which carried us and the goddess to where we do not know leaving the war of my grandfather the smell of smoke following us our keel, my brother, knocking down the doors of the sea the tall, and the wild waves coming, crashing under the keel of my brother’s name far from the sound of places we were leaving the roads we followed marching past my uncle’s crooked mountain forts while his men called out at us with our long hair on our shoulders first by my brother’s name who was this girl with him, leave her with us she is my brother, he said not glancing at me our songs we sang in the warm rain for the goddess blessed be her name her cloak the wild wood pigeons turning her crown the lone plover’s crying where now are you brother?