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
