by Frances Boyle
with multitudes of creaks and whap-whapping of sails
and the boat lists on its side rushing
faster than the waves bashing below
& my friend
on the high side
has the sky
behind her
she’s suspended in blue air
a movie set background
1950s Vista-Vision
but the sounds are real the angry sails
and the leaping sheets tangling
slapping the deck
thud shudder thud
we’ve got to get it, get it under
control and hold it and hold it
my hands don’t know where to grip
and my head’s in the sky
my heart full of whipping ropes.
— from Juniper Volume 2, Issue 1