by Darrell Petska
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| The Greek Coast Guard recovered the bodies of 34 migrants, including 15 children, on Sunday in the Aegean Sea after their wooden boat flipped over in strong winds as it attempted the short but often perilous crossing from nearby Turkey. --NY Times, September 13, 2015 |
Each little coffin
one two three
a boatload of dreams
lost at sea
Where to lay them
four five six
waiting on the oarsman
plying the Styx
From whence to where
seven eight nine
Hush now, you boxes,
no jostling in line
Ten eleven
twelve thirteen—
what rhyme or reason
worth losing a one
Fourteen fifteen
sweet moppets spent
weep fast: offshore
bob boatloads more
Darrell Petska is a retired university editor with poetry or fiction appearing recently in Mobius: The Journal of Social Change, Boston Literary Magazine, and Tule Review. He lives near Madison, Wisconsin.
