light strewn like stars 
on the afternoon water
a mirror of mountains
a song of trains
pre-recorded 
for the memory 
of a grandfather’s dream
October clouds 
spilled ink across the sky
we paint this day 
with diesel, with aches
with pains -- we
who winterize the boat
who have watched her 
in blizzards and floods
know more of the groans
the symphony of wind 
that envelopes we know
more than spreadsheets 
describe we know
the weight of the light
strewn like stars
we know
they are not strewn
for you