the long voyage

The Long Voyage.

Tropical night on the deck of a tank-ship,
Caribbean Sea, the highest point on earth,
nowhere else are stars so near. Ink waters,
white where it has been crushed by the ship;
and through my feet I sense her heartbeat.
It’s the day that is long for a seafarer, work
routine, and talks in ever decreasing circles,
punctuated by rancorous silence and bitter
thoughts. From time to time the ship shudder
as fearing nights and the unknown destiny,
a storm too many? A slight heave I can feel
it now, restless weather ahead; good, it may
break the ennui that slows a seaman’s mind
into tiny, introverted circles of loneliness.