A marble bath

she at last had permission to use the marble bath for the marble bath she untied a paper bag of periwinkle bath salts & flicked them into the water as though cracking a whip she untied her hair she untidied her hair tested the water with the soft pads of her toes (tips of bladder wrack in the sun) her skin her markings (as for the bath) — interior-of-Stilton at last underwater she drew breath from every shell collected from every beach later in the evening when dressed for bed she rejoined her brothers & sister & they were each served a portion of the last portion