by Margaret Emerson
mooring ball beckons
sail ends
go around
get into position
miss it
go around again
mooring ball bobbing
winking eye
time to retry
angle is off
approach wide
close but not
can’t
so go by
one more try
standing at the bow
boat hook in hand
waving to David
hope it lands
grab it
hold it
secure the line
safe at harbor
this time fine
fellow sailor motions
come for a drink
get into the dinghy
for a neighborly clink
two guys are baffled
at our casual approach
what’s your secret
how do ya do it
we expected a quarrel
to be honest
it’s all part
of life
that’s all
new boat
new marriage
new mooring ball
Since retiring as a professor of nursing at Northeastern University, Margaret Emerson lives in Chilmark, where she pursues her passions for painting and poetry.
