Whatever we start,
Planned by engineers, or not,
On the Danube flowing through time
Or the Potomac flowing past a nation,
We showcase ourselves with light.
We fill the cases with the ancient
Stones that we stole to teach the world
About how important the stones we stole were.
Each outrage part of the parade
Of tough spirits trying to mitigate
The damage done by screaming women,
By ranting crows, by bullets and hooks.
We sign the papers before we know
The length of our enlistment. We face a nation
With something akin to fear, pride, glory,
And the fish which swim upstream breath
In relief at having avoided the bears,
Just before we net them.
We must finish what we started, the next race
Must begin and end and begin...until
we realize the race was never ours to begin with.
The Danube at dawnThe Potomac at dawnChichen Itza, how the Maya have prevailed The Parade-He steps, poses, dances…then goneThe messengerYour Enlistment Papers, O Patriot of England’s shoreThe Catch
Leaving Galveston on 9/11, we had an escort of US Coastguard. The Jo Kiri had an escort of dolphins. I thought at first they were trying to get out of the way, but no, they jumped, leapt, fell, splashed and returned. This went on until the Jo Kiri was out of sight.
Ann WJ White 