catapult magazine

By the Sea

by Michelle Julianne Gallagher

“What are my words,”
I shouted to the sea,
“And what are my words for?”

My words are marks and squiggles and dots —
Like a child’s first cursive lesson;
A foreigner’s wish for conversation —
I can barely say anything at all.

What sort of
Bird would teach a
Fish to fly?

“What are my words,”
I asked quietly,
“And what are my words for?”

My words are the strongest of fishing nets
When woven with sturdy lengths of Scripture:
Words that Christ set out so long ago;
Words that never wear out or unravel.

With these nets,
Says the Christ, you
Will catch men.