Lifeguards can’t save themselves
from their own wasting.
But what is your record
of attending to the world?
A mute pool in winter.
Is wisdom efficient?
The sun’s beams reach
the patio in a tie.
What I need is a continuous ray of light at my side.
A chance to make up
for the luxury of not understanding.
James Shea is the author of The Lost Novel and Star in the Eye. His poems have appeared in various literary magazines and anthologies, including The New Census: An Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry. He teaches in the Department of Humanities and Creative Writing at Hong Kong Baptist University.