Clearing my mind
on the quay
as gulls swoop and dive
and ships unload.
There I divest myself
of my cargo
of memories,
offering them freely
to all takers
not already invested
in heartache,
but curious
to learn how much
one can bear, to serve
for them as a warning,
a precaution.
I have no interest
in finding my way
back to my native land,
would rather roam
the seas as a ghost
vessel, taking on
no more, and pulling in
to a compassionate harbor
when my fuel is spent,
there to bob and float,
a touchstone for the afflicted
longing to forget.
Philip Wexler
Philip Wexler lives in Bethesda, Maryland. He has had over 180 poems published in magazines. His collections, The Sad Parade (prose poems) and The Burning Moustache were published by Adelaide Books. Two more books are scheduled for 2022: The Lesser Light by Finishing Line Press and I Would be the Purple by Kelsay Books. He also organizes Words out Loud, a monthly spoken word series, at Glen Echo Park in Maryland, lately presented remotely via Zoom.
Hi Philip! I enjoyed your poem. I’m interested in the spoken word on Zoom that you organize. I’d like to attend and would love to recite my poetry with y’all. Thanks.
Writer and adventure-lover,
April Patrick
Great poem.