The massive ship pulls out of the harbor
Dockworkers softly untying the wet rope
There is a sudden burst of the horn
The wives wave good-bye as the children are crying
“Let daddy come back” a frail boy stammers
To him this doesn’t make sense
To him, everything he was ever sure of just became a spindle of thread coming undone
The mother with the hollow eyes carries the young boy home
She sticks the corn over the flames for dinner
Forgetting to remove it until she smells the smoke
The mother keeps wiping down the dining table
Because, if she looks up, her son would see the tears
The boy sneaks back outside seeing if his father’s ship is still in sight
Hoping the ship will turn around so his father can tuck him into bed one last time
