J.I. Kleinberg

LESSON

Every morning I swim to a new shore.
I leave the sea with its many tongues

to learn the dialect of today. Listen.
Dog. Owl. Shovel scooping damp sand.

I am not naked but my feet are bare.
They comprehend a single pebble

the way the smallest word – yes, no,
love – can change everything. The way

debris gathers at the high water line
torn from its anchor, broken, shards,

never the same, to be learned anew,
sorted, spoken or silent, sung. Listen.

Three-time nominee for Pushcart and Best of the Net awards, J.I. Kleinberg is an artist, poet, and freelance writer. Her poetry has appeared in December, One, Diagram, Otoliths, Pedestal, Psaltery & Lyre, and many other print and online journals. She lives in Bellingham, Washington, USA, and on Instagram @jikleinberg.