An empty cannery

They overfished the sardines in Monterey.
Canned them until they ran out
swam away from the bay to safety
and all the workers packed up their nets.

So the Cannery sat empty for a time.
a shell in a beautiful ocean graveyard
an industrial urn
surrounded by angry waves
abandoned posts
stillness for a time.

Until the sardines were ready
and when they came back to Monterey, she welcomed them
and put them in a tank to swim circles


maybe you'll find your way back to me that way


until then I'll sit here
an empty cannery
cement softly eroding
waiting to be repurposed into an aquarium