I. things found here

Long Beach by no means
deals in the ocean with clean hands.
His hands, grungy, bear back from
waves to sand full of the dirty
things we say out into nothing
thinking they will not come back.

The things we say do not dissolve
out to open sea void of this congestion
we send them out from. Not in
Long Beach anyway.

Putting language into simple daily forms we can live from
aches and persists in one's guts
much like the healing that takes place from a girl
who once said it was funny how
I chewed, or when they first noticed my bow legs,
or a boy who said that you, he used the phrase,
are an ugly bitch whore. I have witnessed it here. And your language
was too profane, I did not know how to tell you I was sorry for what he said.

The beaches are good for questioning
all that has preceded.

Even in Long Beach the beaches are still good
for finding the muscle shells, seaweed, the half-buried
things in the sand, rinsing them off
in the breaking white surf.