Our ship’s in unchartered waters
Many captains clawing for its helm
A tsunami ripped it from its anchor
Rolling, whirl-pooling, writhing in a darker realm
Its cargo: Ill-destined, shuttered,
Barely contained beneath the deck
Status: unconfirmed.
Micro-managed distancing from death
Peering towards a future horizon:
A fog-masked, shape-shifting event
Fruitless day-counting, crowd-pointing.
So much energy spent
Release the cargo,
Grow the herd,
Re-empower the working crew
Protect this fragile vessel
Sail us home to seas we knew
Alison McIntosh
3 October 2020
Contemporary Poetry: A Snapshot in Time 