Nearing Solstice

1.
dark dark day
the sun
a sliver of memory
slipping away

let daylight
settle slowly

islands appear
and ledges will light
handholds
we’ll follow

longing
for night

2.
what has become of the buoy
off Georges Bank
adrift and silent
since Thanksgiving

gauging the colors
of clouds winds
calm seas building
nothing to report

ducks passing overhead
give a slight whistle

3.
first light reflected
within the water
off Clapboard Island

listen
a voice says

the weather for
Chebeague and Matinicus
Monhegan Muscongus

each morning
the same
each morning
changed

high tide
just before
sunrise