Sunday Poem

NIGHT SAILING

They say only fools sail at night
around the barrier reefs:
sloops and double-enders come to grief
on the jagged corals
as the Trades make for unpredictable currents
and the sudden heaves and plummets
of the seabed
bring the waves to cauldron-froth,
and all compounded by dark.
It’s like sailing in another language.
Even during the day
the marker buoys break free
and drift out of alignment,
requiring close attention to the marine charts.
But at night it’s almost always a naufrage.
The problem is
you cannot avoid sailing at night
when the call comes in
and you have somewhere to go.

From Reaching for Clear (2006) by David Solway.