Leaving with the sun low
Ben Egerton (Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand)
A wave of sun
hits the ferry full
on the starboard side as it makes
the slow,
wide turn round the point,
lights up the logo’d steel from prow to stern
in a yellow more often given to buttercups
or cowardice.
The yellow
gilds the sides, lifts the vessel into myth:
the Argo,
something slipped
from Midas’ grasp
or an alchemist’s fingertips.
Half-golden, part-truth,
a semi-precious ship.
And those outside, on deck
confronting the wind,
facing
the setting sun,
are galvanised
with the lightest of touches.
But
tucking into canteen lasagna
and bowls of fries, or semi-reclining
in the premium lounge, hidden
between illumination and shadow,
not one passenger
feels a thing.
Ben Egerton, originally from Bradford-on-Avon in the west of England, is a teacher and freelance writer currently studying for a Masters in Creative Writing at Victoria University, Wellington, NZ. His poetry has featured in Broadsheet (NZ) and at the Auckland Writers’ Festival, and he has written for Education Review (NZ) and the Times Education Supplement (UK). When he’s not writing, he’s often to be found playing hockey or cycling up and down Wellington’s many hills.
