Start with a bucket of water
Taken straight from the bay
Taste, to ensure it is salty
Look, to ensure it is gray
Find the Little Bay Sand Witch
Borrow a cup of her sand
Ask for the kind that is sweaty
Or I warn you your soup will be bland
Hunt for the shell of a moon snail
Moon snails are found at low tide
Stick your hand deep in the gravel
Deep—to avoid you—they hide
Find the four spikes of an urchin
Cover in jellyfish spread
Garnish with cordgrass and glasswort
And algae, stringy and red
Locate some rocks that are shiny,
For texture, grind up a clam
A spoonful of slimiest seaweed
And the bumps of the bumpiest crab
Now listen, ever so closely
It’s called the London tree plane
Gather the bark it has shedded
And add to it a liter of rain
Now stir it all into a whirlpool
And wait for some lightning to strike it
During the full moon of August
It’s worth it! I promise you’ll like it!
