A plash at a distance
as I mended the nets;
ripples kissed the strips
on the boat’s floats.

Neither hums nor psalms
echoing from the coast;
the lyrics were turned
yet the blend was tuned.

Curbed murmured at the close—
a modulated treble
similar to the chirps
with the weensy wheezes.

The voices came out
after they opened their mouths,
their tongues convulsed
before they doused.

They were naked above
and the limbs were unseen;
tousled hair covered the face
of this covert chorus.

---

While teaching Religious Studies to senior high students at Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan in the Philippines, Jose Joel Robles loves to write poems and stories. As a husband and a father of one, he utilizes some of his spare time for writing. His published pieces appeared in Teach. Write., Anak Sastra 47, 50-word stories, and Organic Ink: Volume 5 by Dragon Soul Press (forthcoming).