You're on a boat, alone, at night.
A halyard bangs. Unwillingly,
You look up through the star-filled hatch.
Your mind steps back:
You’re somewhere
on the waterfront, near 34th, beneath the el.
Beyond the walls of darkened wharves,
the river shimmers, turns to stars,
then comes to berth in front of you.
You sense a different life inside:
the dreamers in their darkened rooms;
the dim, illumined corridors;
the pale attendants listening.
Then everything is brightening
and turning dark. You hear a voice
inside yourself: There are other truths.