Thursday, December 17, 2020

Istanbul Evening

 (second version)


A white, four-masted yacht slips between

dingy barges and trawlers, disappears into

a blue haze on the Sea of Marmara. The call

to prayer's an hour away. Swallows dive

and glide, pigeons prowl, the sun's

about to settle down. 


Below the terrace, lush maples and oaks

sigh and sway, leaning west. Sounds of traffic,

children, and work never cease. Near a mosque's

minaret on the hill, a faded Turkish flag

flutters in slow motion. Now a seagull appears.


It glides in a wide arc, which now becomes 

a large invisible circle. The glide traces

ever smaller concentric circles against 

the backdrop of the sea until the gull 

lands precisely at the point of a rooftop

below. The gull stands,


strong and ready, facing a low sun, and

something in the scene says all is well

this evening, even when it may not be,

especially if it may not be. 

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