Notice 69

Have you witnessed
her cast off on bow-side
whilst tautened ropes –
messenger sent –
are pulled stern-side?

Have you seen those
flicked-to wringings
as tensions are taken –
as lines stretch
from an oil-glazed sea?

Have you watched
as that stubborn
house-high hull
shifts in boiling water
of her own making?

Have you heard
terrific complaints
as her immobility shifts
from its visited place
on a paper chart?

Have you waited
until silence returns?
You have stood dockside
for too long –
you have seen enough