The good vessel Time
waits anchored in the harbour,
I hope the chewing gum keeps it glued together,
I carry alms for you
You are not young and I am not familiar,
Though we are both middle class
that doesn’t mean a lot to you,
I feel the cicada skin of your body next to mine,
And still hear the sound of your voice through the walls,
Could what you know count less than you think?
When we ruined too easily
I stayed standing, leaning against that wall,
But the wall leaned away,
All I ever meant to do was love you,
Though I was frightened I overdid it
And in that final hour I stood naked,
dripping wet, in gumboots
with roses and grapes.
Baby you were dumbstruck,
Oh how we laughed
Now we set forth in different directions over wretched waters,
Uncertainty claimed the last ship that sailed,
It may be some time before we sight land,
Don’t mistake me for a stranger
When we get there, we’ll build our homes of new hopes
And I know
The sweet and sour tides will come and go
Until once more we’ll look to our separate skies
and believe it can rain again
– 4 August 2008 (#4) –
