TALL SHIPS
They glide into our small
waterfront, behemoths
from another era, rigging lit
to glitter in both sky and water.
Maritime cathedrals, masts
and sails for buttresses, floating
out of time and place,
as only beauty can. Sure, our
past is troubled, and the future
is unclear. But the stars that blink
beyond these wavering pennants—
long-extinguished, across
enormous distances—their light
still reaches us.
—Meredith Davies Hadaway
“Tall Ships,” from [Among the Many Disappearing Things] by Meredith Davies Hadaway, as performed with Joe Holt, piano, at a recent Mainstay concert. “Falling Sky,” watercolor, by Greg Mort.