It's Still Life

He Knows Boats

He knows boats.
Old boats. New. Salt-brined
and wind-whistled and tied
to a pier. He knows their
songs. Their sound by ear.
Steel clips slapping hard,

hitting on aluminium masts.
Just by the tone of it,
he knows who made it, knows
its length and its name.
And he knows how to sail,
has done, since age 5.

You see, his daddy grabbed him
by the seat of the pants, and
tossed him off the bow of his
dingy. “Swim,” said his daddy,
‘cause you’ll not sail alone
until you can swim to shore.

He knows boats inside out,
and by god, he knows
how to swim, too.

written for The Twiglets #1