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 lost anchor.
began to churn, drift, hit rocks.
the hull split. what could we do
but watch our ship reach bottom.

today, dockside,
the fresh air speaks.
I feel lucky, romantic,
crowned with a good spirit.
the gravelly sky gives me
a sprightly bounce.
scrubs my insides clean.

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