August 2024
Joe Miano
jmiano@cox.net
jmiano@cox.net
Bio Note: I am a retired physics teacher who has written poems ever since High School. I have taught in Kenya with the Peace Corps, in South Bend, Indiana, and in Oklahoma City and have published two historical fiction novels: A Thief in the African Night: The Conflicts of Change in 2020 and The Scribe of Akrai: Luxo Reveals the Secrets of Trinacria in 2022.They each include a few of my poems and are available on Amazon.
Lost
Lake Hefner, OKC, April, 2024
Lost upon the sea
Our ship is tossed
We roll and rock
The waves increase
Our men immobile
Tied to the masts
Or flail upon the deck
Or fall into the abyss.
All hope is lost
No man or god
Our saving grace!
But then afar
A mirage
A fire dim we sight
It vanishes
Sinks
Then reappears.
Bright it grows
And higher still
Until we spy
A light upon a spire.
Now
Our sails are gripped by gusts
And faster still
Our ship is pushed
Ever forward
Toward the light!
Rocks and boulders
Surround the tower
Our death now clear
We breathe our last.
All hope is lost
No man or god
Our saving grace!
But wait
Between the rocks
A channel lies
Narrow
Protected from wind and wave
We wait
Will we live or sink?
Will we be saved?
Our captain shouts
"Sailors, all,
Eyes on the light!
Rowers!
Toward the center row!
Steady the rudder
Aim at the center of the bay!
For if we push too far
Left or right
We perish on the rocks!
"There between
Lies our hope!
Hold strong!
And there,
Safe harbor will be found
There!
Our saving grace!"
©2024 Joe Miano
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