I’m grateful for the boat horn
announcing the next ferry
of fair-weather friends
departing these fair shores.
Locals on the mainland
hang signs after Labor Day
saying “See ya!”
We’re not that rude
but I can imagine waving.
So thanks
for these deserted roads
and almost empty beaches
and parking spots on Main Street.
After the big exodus
familiar faces reappear
and even ones I’d often avoid
seem almost welcome.
I appreciate the free food
in the library fridge
even as I arrive late
to watch the early bird
at the head of the line
grab all three packages
of grass-fed ground beef
and most of the corn,
leaving only radishes
for the rest of us.
But thanks
for such selfishness
as it helps me excuse my own.
And thanks to the cormorants
on buoys in the harbor,
stretching out their wings,
blessing the fleet,
waving.
Donald Nitchie leads poetry drop-in meetings — group writing sessions — on Zoom once a month; check the Edgartown library schedule. His chapbook “Driving Lessons” was published in 2008. He mostly plays on public courts.
Poets with a connection to Martha’s Vineyard are encouraged to submit poems to m@mwest.com. Please also include a two- to three-sentence bio at the end of your poem.
