galley head

The most powerful lighthouse in the world

is a phrase I only half believe.

What is it measured in,

fishing boats protected,

lashing winds survived,

the distance of a beam of light?

Or maybe it is the lighthouse keeper,

wandering the shore at night

with a good dog at their side.

They look at the stars and the stars blink back.

The big golden beam swings through

that perfect velvet sky

like a scythe

like a benediction.

At the mercy of such capacity,

what more is there to quantify it as

if not

the most powerful lighthouse in the world.

Natasha Marsh