Michael Shoemaker

our solitary sailboat

the flag flies taut

winds howl horror

ropes beat the pole

at Portland Head Light

in the distance

there is a speck

a twelve-foot sailboat

two body lengths

bobbing as the sea roils

in a slate cauldron

with the taste of fear

of capsizing and crushing

against Maine’s

perilous shore

will this sailor

make it to the shore

safely?

I’ll never know

the sailboat disappears

beyond my sight

will we make it?

our Captain calls

“Feed my sheep”

with pierced feet

firmly fixed

on the granite coast

we will, through Him

faith’s heartbeat

tells me so

Michael Shoemaker is a poet, photographer and writer from Magna, Utah where he lives with his wife and son. He is the author of a poetry/photography collection Rocky Mountain Reflections (Poets’ Choice, 2023). His poetry has appeared in Blue Lake Review, The High Window, Seashores Haiku Journal, and The Penwood Review.