The Worth of a Degree in Geology
there is a video
on my little camera
I play it when
the cold Rochester sky
envelops me
poorly edited,
it starts with a too close shot
of scorched red leg
and one loosely tied shoe
the waves come in
and forgetting why they’ve come
go out again
just as quickly
the video stops
just a clip
saved for
cold and colder days
but memories remain
stare at Atlantic Ocean
a color that should
get its own paint chip
in Home Depot
breathe in evaporated smell
of fish
and salt
and sun baked rocks
feel hot sun
too many hours have past
since the now burnt skin
was covered in SPF
I’m back in Rhode Island
the crushed bits
of rock
stuck under my fingernails
the names of ancient
geologic processes
echo
in my head
the sun warms the side of a breathtaking cliff…
the chemical formula
for mica
KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
lingers
in my brain
a gull chatters against the ocean spray…
four years of
knowing
learning
trying
to remember
lost in the beauty of
simple
perfect
lovely
rocks
