Ossuary VII!

by Dionne Brand

Dionne Brand

Havana, Yasmine arrived one early evening,
the stem of an orange dress,
a duffle bag, limp, with no possessions

the sea assaulted the city walls,
the air,
the birds assaulted the sea

she's not coastal,
more used to the interiors of northern cities,
not even their ancillary, tranquil green-black lakes