We all set sail at dawn
boat and promises
polished til gleaming,
sails full of hope.
I once believed in the horizon.
We prayed to the wind,
but the iron lying below the waves
burdened our journey.
No one spoke of it at first..
Capitalism,
that monstrous anchor,
looped itself around our ankles,
slipped between our ribs
replacing hearts
and pulled us down inch by inch.
I bail water with trembling hands
a mother’s wages
a father’s dues
a child’s tuition
the rent’s rising tide
they are coming to fill our lungs.
The billionaires on the shores scream,
"If you paddle hard enough,
you can outrun the drag!"
Then they laugh amongst themselves
and clink champagne glasses
never shedding a single tear.
The anchor grows heavier
as profits swell
threatening to break us
debt chains every breath
a ledger tallying grief.
Submerged in deadlines
in advertisements,
in stock tickers
a ceaseless demand
the water laps over
cold and unrelenting.
Still, we breathe
resistance as breath
a voice rising against the deep pull,
hands lifting the anchor
if only for moments,
if only til dawn.
Because even dragged as we are,
we are seeds drawn to sun
boats hoping for shore.
And somewhere in that hope
we may learn to drop the anchor
completely
to break the chains that bind.
About the Creator
Lolly Vieira
Welcome to my writing page where I make sense of all the facets of myself.
I'm an artist of many mediums and strive to know and do better every day.
https://linktr.ee/lollyslittlelovelies
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Comments (2)
This is powerful and deeply felt. The extended metaphor of the boat and anchor works beautifully to capture that suffocating weight of economic struggle. I especially love the image of "we are seeds drawn to sun / boats hoping for shore." Even in the darkness of the piece, you've held onto that glimmer of resilience and possibility.
May we always be able to keep our heads above water. Loved your poem!