Watrerfront Watch

smoke, sky trails.
the tug turns, squirms,
then steers upriver.
the wheat has to move.
but with all that commotion,
you’d think a warship was out there.

today no sun.
the somber air is thick.
I watch a gull poke blood thirsty
into the glistening waves.
in life nothing dies easy.

we broke anchor.
drifted, hit rocks.
the merciless wind wailed,
carried us over the shoals.
our hull split. what could we do
but watch our ship reach bottom.

today, dockside,
the gravelly air perks me up.
I feel lucky, like a captain,
the cloudless sky gives me
a sprightly bounce.

I flash on a bright red skirt straight ahead.
those shiny buttons, like little
golden stones, outlandish,
turn towards me.
her sassy dance summons.
our eyes meet.
our thoughts crisscross.
a few seconds of trance.
she laughs, curls her lips.
me too.
ah yes, I'm back.