In Search of Harmony, by Joanne Durham

This artwork was made especially for Neleman by Spanish illustrator Sonia Alins. Click image for wine website and more details.

In Search of Harmony 

I swim like a manatee,
my curved and bountiful body perfect 

to float, wearing a cloth of sun 
that filters into muted hues of amber,

magenta, cerulean - rainbow shades
only seen in my waking world

on days falling water prisms light.
Coral, animal like me, anchored

to the sea but mobile 
in feathered wings of welcome, 

underwater angels blessing life 
far above their reach. I’m bound too,

to the rules of my species, careful to keep
my head above the water, 

eyes on an earth 
where we’ve tossed our poisons

into the sea, where our rising heat 
strands coral’s bleached bodies

and our own, in a breathless
breach of faith.

Joanne Durham

Joanne Durham is the author of To Drink from a Wider Bowl, winner of the 2021 Sinclair Poetry Prize (Evening Street Press, April 1, 2022). Her chapbook, On Shifting Shoals, is forthcoming from Kelsay Books. Her poetry appears in many journals. Please visit https://www.joannedurham.com/ for more about her background, publications, and awards.