Fire light flashed across floorboards,
like moonbeams over waves.
I stood where it caressed the shore.
With an invitation,
I placed my hull upon your water.
A buoyant force pressed against me
as I immersed myself in you.
We rocked.
Your waves lapped against me:
a reinforced resistance,
a caressing cadence,
a soothing submission.
Drifting slowly from the world,
destination uncharted,
a keel of trust upheld me
on this maiden voyage.
Illinois Woman’s Press Association
2024 Mate E. Palmer Professional Communications Contest
HONORABLE MENTION
Single poem: Hull against water