: poetry :

The Ferry

buzz, pause, buzz, pause
the whole vessel shakes as if with a
throbbing heart
the throngs of passengers board,
excited, anxious, expectant
seagulls float mysteriously around
the ferry on invisible strings

buzz, pause, whoosh,
suddenly the sea is white, throffed
into a foamy frenzy
like the head of a cafe latte, and
then all is calm
smoothly the ferry glides from its
dock, unnoticed by many

humm, churn, humm, churn
as populated coastline slides past, the
sea open up ahead
humanity and its hectic life replaced
by serene hash nature
one hundred tones of steal perched
on water, surly not?

sloshing, rocking, sloshing
gently the horizon tips up and down
with a regular period
mighty clouds role over the sky
mirrored by the rolling waves
behind, vees of wake mark out our
path through the blue abyss

indra, osprey, nedloyd, ibex
a merry dance is made by passing
ships and swooping birds
small boats dart in front and skip over
our choppy wake
sailing yhats silently pass with a nod
from their skipper

glistening, sparkling, shimmering,
the waves stretch far away and look
like mountains of silver foil
clouds part briefly and bathes the
ferry in a warm summer glow
and then land, our destination rising
from the breaking waves

grinding, whoosh, turning, scrape
the ferry docks, the passengers
leave, we have arrived

Nick Bailey 2002