A harbor town, just like this one, swept up in fog
the seagulls, ghosts emerging from the skies

the river glistens soft & wide,
the Cranes for now are sleeping giants

he kisses her, the anxious gun pressed tight
against his hand in his pocket

he is a dock worker
she is a seamstress

they're a black & white film
because technicolor here is impossible

he is you & she is me
we speak only in French

the kids on the block
will get you the next day.

My aunt’s in the garden,
     Growing gold.
My uncle’s in his new shirt,
     Growing mold.
My cuz’s in Af-ghan-i-stan,
     Growing cold.
I’m swimming in wine,
     Growing old.

This piece should make sense,
     But it don’t.
This piece should tell tales,
     Still, it won’t.
I’m home decades later,
     Or so I wrote.
My daddy’s days dead
     And so I’ll tote.

A couple holding hands, huddled together
A rusty crane arm reaching the stars
Smell of salt air mixed with seaweed
Shades of red, and orange mingle
With the glistening water as the sun sets
Wooden bench perched on a bank,
Tiny plaque memory of two souls
Spending moments here of evenings past
Overlooking fishing boats tethered,
An ancient weathered harbor wall.
Lazy, full seagulls, flap heavily away
Playful laughter floats, on the air
As children dance too and from
Waves lapping the pebbled beach

In her radiance
I
Lost my vibrant
And
Breathtaking the harbor nights
With
Sleek silky red dress
And
Quibble over the sacrilege
Of
Pin sized consciousness
Then
Sealed with a kiss
To
Perpetuate the captivation
Without
Feeling poignant
So
Once fold the old fiasco
Now
All the harbor air
Smells
So right.

My mother always said to get along with people.
I made allies, I worked with people, and I stayed away from
Fights that were not mine.
My allies and I have had fights, but we worked it out.
(WWI and the treaty of Versailles)

It all changed though, when nearly everyone around me
Began to hate each other.
One of the kids I knew, but never played with,
Began to bully the others.
He said he hated Jews.
(Germany/ ******)

He was a part of a promise my friends and I made,
Because he was a part of our fight, before.
He broke the promise
And he began to... Collect.... My friends
And take over their lives. They were controlled and
Manipulated and suppressed by him.
(Taking over Rhineland, Poland, etc.)

We decided to leave it alone. We didn't want to
Get involved again. (France/ Britain appeasement)

He promised that he would leave a few kids
Alone, but he lied. He controlled them, too. (Italy and Japan)
He had his friends that helped him,
But I think they were just scared of him
And acted like they were his friends.

When my other friends got involved, I wanted out,
But if they needed my help with some things,
I would help them if they gave me a cookie (cash).

After a while, I started to help my friends more,
But I wasn't really fighting... I did, though, when one
Of the bullies friends (Japan) threw a crayon at me.
It hurt really bad and I got angry.

It's a ship that gets us through the ocean of life when that wave of doubt or unfortunate events falls upon us and we see no way out.

When we're single and need someone to spend those dateless nights with.

When we find ourselves in situations that only a simple call can fix.

When we're bored and want to just laugh at things no one else understands.

When we're old and sad, but hey, even then life is not too bad when you have friendship to get you past-on to the harbor where joy will forever last.