Tuesday, June 25, 2024

After the ship has sunk Sept. 17, 2013

 She clings to him

as if to a life preserver

 as the ship she sails on sinks,

 the ragged edge of the iceberg,

having torn open in the side,

 her life spilling

into the cold water of a reality

 she hoped she could avoid,

 he the last flicker of warmth she has,

 and clings to him,

 even though she knows

he can’t save her,

 she must save herself,

resorting to all that

she has already learned

about survival,

pleasant, unpleasant,

sour or sweet,

she needs to keep

her head above the water

 long enough to reach

something substantial enough

 to bear her to safety,

clinging as hard as she can,

 fingers nearly bleeding

from the touch of what

had seemed so tender,

so pure, so right a year ago,

watching him slowly sink

 as she swims on.

email to Al Sullivan

No comments:

Post a Comment