Clouds of gulls hang above trawlers unloading their catch.
Fish mongers set up tents.
The blue bridge opens for the tall masts of a ship,
and the bells of Saint Jacques toll the hour.
Cars flow in and out of the round-about.
The docks and boats lower with the tide.
On the promenade, a young man lights a cigarette.
His girlfriend returns with a baguette.
The harbor, a painting, the radiant atmosphere
always changing, brought Renoir and Monet here.
The moon floating among the boats swings the tides.
The fleet rides the night into morning.
Mark Thalman is the author of Stronger Than the Current, The Peasant Dance, and Catching the Limit. His work has been widely published for the last five decades. Thalman retired from the public schools after teaching English and Creative Writing for 35 years. Please visit markthalman.com.
