I have not gotten off the boat since the storm
The waves have gone, they are resting
The boat has finally docked near the cathedral
The sea remains where it is
but I have been adrift since.
I am telescoping from one of the cabins
there are holes, round windows
I can only see one circle of the sky and sea
at a time
Sometimes, the moon fills an entire hole
other times, a few stars parade in stillness
I spot mermaids when I’m lucky
but in the cabin, their songs cannot be heard
Flukes of whales and wings of seagulls
go by in the circles, and they go by
When I’m bored, I distract myself,
tracing constellations I can never complete
You see, I cannot see the bigger sky,
only one lonely little circle of it
and it is hard to spot a constellation
as elusive as the one I lost in the storm
I have not the left the boat
The waves have retreated
but the boat still rocks dangerously in my mind
Tonight, the cathedral is out of sight
From my cabin on this boat,
I have yet to kiss the earth.
