Standing Watch on a Plague Ship - Poem

 

STANDING WATCH ON A PLAGUE SHIP
 
(Copyright 2020, by Dave Kiffer)
 
The wind always comes from elsewhere
Making it easier to blame the fates
Or other people beyond our control,
It always seems as though we are rocked
By butterfly wings a universe away
And all we need to do is hunker down,
Wait for the smothering storm to pass.
And the sun will come out once again
And yet, as we sway at anchor, we must
Avoid that most humanness of actions,
That need to connect, to reach out,
Perhaps not to touch, that has always
Been a challenge for our northern genes,
But at least, pass close by, and feel the breeze.

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