night swimmers

the people down                 at the south coast

get there in the                  afternoon and

drink beers until it gets dark

they put their cigarette butts

out in the beers             because they care

about the environment

and when they feel                  good enough

they wade into the water on long             thin legs

to plunge in                     knees first

Eleanor Rose King Merton

Eleanor Rose King Merton is a poet and editor living in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Her work appears in various publications including Sport, Starling, Sick Leave (AU) and Peach Mag (US).

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