Disentangling

France diminishing as the ocean swirls
upending nests of gannets, gulls
from ledges, crags where they’ve been hitched
for years. These islands have unravelled,
cast off their stitches, pitched up north
to new locations, more threadworn hems of earth
till Jersey’s swapped with Fair Isle,
Guernsey’s shuttled off to Harris,
while Alderney and Sark
now have Norwegian summits
peeking down their cold and naked backs.