The Seaman

He lives in fleeting moments

A warm embrace

Aboard his vessel

Sailing when the dawn breaks, maybe

In the grocery store

I saw an old man put his jacket

Over the sloping shoulders of his wife

In the frosty dairy aisle

My lips began to tremble

I forget to pickup milk

I go back to my car, my couch, my work desk, the mirror

all in a 3 mile radius

I am here here here

I won’t ask why

When I hear that bellowing farewell

The inky waves keep churning