It's Still Life

The Captain

A child sinks a ship
without hesitation.

The crew must be saved.
The story requires it.

The captain goes down
with quiet agreement;

no trial,
no question,
no second thought.

It is not cruelty.

It is order in a child’s mind.

A hand lifts survivors
from the water,
sets them safely aside
on the bathtub’s rim.

The rest is allowed
to disappear.

Years later,
the same hand trembles

over headlines,
over names,
over the weight of what cannot
be arranged.

Still —

somewhere inside,
the story remains,

certain

that if it is told right,
someone must be lost

so the rest can live.

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After reading/listening to Nick/Spira’s post of today “Miseria Cantare” I wrote this while I waited for the car to charge up to 80% at a charging station (driving from St Malo to Rouen today). This is a view that came to me, and required words.

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Some images created with Midjourney; all writing is authentically my own original work.©Misky 2006-2026.