there are cockles and broken glass spread across the floor the door is wide open and the sand made drifts all down the hall broken panes in the window reflected light in from the sky this is no longer my house it s been claimed by the sea starfishes dying down by the laurel tree ironically the washing machine is half full of seawater washed in by the waves at night leaving a salty snail like trail behind this no longer my house it has been claimed by the sea claimed by the sea and it was always going to be claimed by the sea and it was always going to be claimed by the sea and it was always going to be claimed by the sea i ve planted a garden in the solid parts the flowers are drooping the water the seaweed lay in rags like it was christmastime christmas in a house that wasn t mine been claimed by the sea and it was always going to be claimed by the sea and it was always going to be claimed by the sea and it was always going to be claimed by the sea 1