“Summer Spire”

Clinging to the junipers to get a view of the sea,

their resistance to the slope heading to towards the shore

is mine, as I smell their juniper to overcome the salt

The sound of the surf ultimately calms me, fear of falling

and drowning fades in the shade of the branches,

I can look ahead at the blue waves without the sun blinding

Down below, the churn of the water works overtime

against the scree piled up down below, a crash landing

I can admire, while safe from the stinging brine

Ben Nardolilli currently an MFA candidate at Long Island University. His work has appeared in Perigee Magazine, Red Fez, Danse Macabre, The 22 Magazine, Quail Bell Magazine, Elimae, The Northampton Review, Local Train Magazine, The Minetta Review, and Yes Poetry. He blogs at mirrorsponge.blogspot.com and is trying to publish his novels.