By AbeEr y. Hoque
The dog is sleeping on the sand
Old gold light falls on the land
Jewelled chinks through thatch and netting
Women washing, drying, vetting
The sea is like an ancient glass
Smooth above the roiling blue
The bamboo bridge is all that’s left
At sunrise when the light is new
Walk this path between the trees
Sodium helix to the seas
Tides that draw the waves from shore
Crashing back when the moon wants more
Here the wind is damp and willing
Here the light falls where you stand
Here the walls end with the ocean
The dog is sleeping on the sand
Notes on the photo essay poem:
The Dog is Sleeping is inspired by Hoque's first trip to Goa in December 2014. Here, the beach village of Mandrem informs and feeds her imagery. Photographs © Hoque.
Abeer Y. Hoque is a Nigerian born Bangladeshi American writer and photographer. She likes sliding doors, toe rings, and preaching to the choir. She is a Fulbright Scholar, has a degree from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and an MFA in writing from the University of San Francisco. Her books include a travel photography and poetry monograph (The Long Way Home, 2013), a linked collection of stories, poems, and photographs (The Lovers and the Leavers, 2015), and a memoir (Olive Witch, 2017). See more at olivewitch.com.