FLEDGLING PRIDE

The boy

that tossed crab nets from the shore

became an extraordinary dreamer

fixed on Gods Light.

The tenement buildings on the horizon

imbued the bay

with a natural and quiet silence.

Separated from the cons

the street card games

and hustlers on the corners

I found

a place where I could escape

and catch blue crabs

with a small cage and rope.

I never got to know Uncle Frank

because he died suddenly

one day on a rooftop.

Taking heroine up his veins

an overdose

left him leaning against a wall.

Two kids

and the memory sustained

it was him

that brought the love of the sea to me.

The ambition to search for God

came long after

he was gone from the shore of pain

where he

would silently wail for relief.

He died so young

and I remember

his face when the net was full

his laughter and kind smile

and the

hidden spring water on the trail home.

The tears of family and friends

left a hole

where he once stood with me, fishing

for the

wondrous and lesser things

that brought

the most happiness to the Soul.

How we all fail ourselves

when the anx

of life pulls its immortal bow

and kills us where we stand.

The foghorn

from a far off boat on the bay

still echoes

in my child’s mind.

Hidden treasures

are sometimes hidden deep

without a map

to uncover its offerings.

We spend our lives

searching for ourselves in the deep

where the

blue crabs harvest our tables

and destiny

is harder than its shell sparkling bright.

Uncle Frank    

a unique and loving soul from heaven

driving hard his hand upon me

with the options

to always believe in yourself

and never let anyone

take a thing away from our fledgling pride.