The Ferry Across

Childhood

When the wake curled out behind
The two boys would lie on the engine bulkheads
To feel the warmth of the engines
In their growing bodies

Youth

We sat with family or friends
Along the sides, against the rails
We swayed as the swell made the boat sway
And chattered, and counted buoys

Young Manhood

I stood at the front - watched the radar turn
Gulls dipping in the forefront of silver
Light on a distant bridge
Repetitive light on the crests of small waves

I felt wind and salt in my hair
I stood and felt alone, and sad, and strong

Adult

Later my two children roamed the deck
Standing unsteady, finding footing
Listening to the engines, watching the wake
Were their eyes the same as mine, when I was young?

And my wife was sitting near the front.
I saw her in a dream last night
Eyes just as clear as the sun
And as blue as sky over the bay

That the ferry crosses

Man

Nowadays I tangle in another bed
And the wife is no longer that
Children 1300 miles away
And tomorrow down again to the Ferry

To cross with a new friend
While dreaming of the old ones
To stand alone again, against the rail
Swaying, in the salt spray

Mixing tears with the salt water of the bay