The Island School
The sea moved in waves
small and large
walking along a winding path
I passed a woman
grooves engraved in her skin
a scarf
grazing her wrinkled forehead
She stopped her work
the smoke from the bonfire clouding her way
but she still smiled and bowed
Ohayo gozaimasu
Ohayo gozaimasu
We exchanged
on a route, abandoned and old,
the sea its companion
the students and teachers sent to an ancient world.
~ Sonia Saikaley
Sonia Saikaley is an Ottawa writer who is currently living in Japan, where she works as an assistant language teacher. She is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers.
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