For my lover, lost

a ship sets sail at the northernmost point
braced against the weather

below deck
hushed
hoping for deliverance
sits
my lover
lost

woollen strands
hold her together
steady
against the tide
memories
her only tether
to happiness past

the ship tips
and for a second
she is weightless
she is aloft
gentleness finds her
a man who is kinder
awaits
but he knows not the cost

sea spray bursts
through cracks in the boards
graces my lost lover's skin
I am without
any former held doubts
left with hope that my lover can swim

the man above deck
he is struggling
his struggle is not what I know
feet planted
eyes narrow
the watery gallows 
beckon

my lover's lips
yearn for the surface
spit salty curses away
morning sun
salvation comes
ignorant to all
still I pray
from the cool of Cape Cod
to an unknown God
for the lovers 
and for the lost